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DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 
OFFICE  OF  THE  SECRETARY 


THE  SAFETY- FIRST  TRAIN 


BY 


JOHN  L.  COCHRANE 


\-^ 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1917 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction 

Offices  represented 

Itinerary 

Deaths  tlirough  accidents  in  the  United  States -t 

The  safety-first  movement 17 

The  Federal  Government  and  safety  first 

Descriptions  of  exliibits y\ 

Department  of  tlie  Treasury ^f; 

Public  Health  Service \0 

Coast  Guard 20 

Department  of  War 

Department  of  the  Navy 

Department  of  the  Interior 

Office  of  Indian  Affairs z'> 

Reclamation    Service 2S 

Bureau  of  Mines ?/) 

National  Pai'k  Service 

Department  of  Agriculture ^ ::.'> 

"Weather   Bureau "" 

Bureau  of  Animal  Industry 

Forest    Service 

Interstate  Commerce  Commission i.  • 

Division  of  Safety 40 

Division  of  Locomotive  Boiler  Inspection 43 

American  National  Red  Cross i- 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  safety-first  train 

President  Wilson  visiting  the  train  at  Union  Station,  Washington 

]\Iembers  of  the  Cabinet  and  railroad  officials  at  the  departure  of  the 

train 

Typical  crowd  waiting  to  view  the  exhibits 

Route  of  the  train 

Exhibit  of  United  States  Coast  Guard,  Treasury  Department,  and  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross 

Exhibit  of  Corps  of  Engineers,  United  States  Army 

Exhibit  of  Medical  Department,  United  States  Army 

Exhibit  of  Marine  Corps,  United  States  Navy 

Exhibit  of  Bureau  of  Mines,  Department  of  the  Interior 

National  Park  exbil)it.  Department  of  the  Interior 

Exhibit  of  Weather  Bureau,  Department  of  Agriculture 

Exhibit  of  Interstate  Commerce  Commission 

2 


THE  SAFETY-FIRST  TRAIN. 


By  John  L.  Cochrane. 


INTRODUCTION. 

In  an  effort  further  to  acquaint  the  people  with  the  work  that  the 
Federal  Government  is  doing  every  day  to  protect  its  citizens  against 
injury  and  death,  and  with  the  measures  it  takes  to  promote  the 
health  and  comfort  of  the  people,  exhibits  showing  apparatus,  de- 
vices, and  methods  used  by  the  Government  were  assembled  by  the 
departments  and  bureaus  at  Washington  in  a  special  train  which 
was  sent  to  as  many  places  throughout  the  United  States  as  was 
possible  under  the  circumstances. 

The  train,  which  consisted  of  12  steel  cars,  carrying  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  of  exhibits,  visited  87  cities  and  towns  in  16  States,  in  regions 
between  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  Denver,  Colo.  More  than  half  a 
million  visitors  inspected  this  train,  and  upon  the  completion  of  its 
itinerary  of  four  months  requests  had  been  received  from  hundreds 
of  other  cities.  It  was  with  considerable  reluctance  that  the  train 
had  to  be  given  up  at  the  end  of  the  four  months,  and  it  is  the  hope 
that  some  day  a  similar  train  will  be  owned,  operated,  and  equipped 
by  the  Government  and  will  be  sent  into  every  part  of  the  country, 
so  that  every  citizen  may  be  able  to  obtain  a  closer  view  and  a  more 
intimate  knowledge  of  what  the  Government  is  doing  for  the  people. 

The  train  was  furnished  through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Daniel 
Willard,  president  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Eailroad,  and  was 
retained  by  the  Government  as  long  as  it  could  consistently  accept 
the  generous  proposition  of  Mr.  Willard.  The  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Eailroad  not  only  furnished  the  train,  but  also  provided  transporta- 
tion over  its  system.  Shortly  after  the  train  had  started,  there  were 
inquiries  from  the  presidents  of  various  trunk-line  railroad  systems 
throughout  the  country  requesting  that  the  train  be  taken  over  their 
lines.  After  two  months  over  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  system,  the 
train  was  loaned  to  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  system  for  one 
month  for  an  itinerary  through  Missouri,  Kansas,  and  Oklahoma, 
this  railroad  agreeing  to  furnish  transportation.  At  the  close  of 
this  itinerary  the  Union  Pacific  system  was  given  a  similar  oppor- 

3 


4  THE    SAFETY-FIEST    TEAIIST. 

tunity  to  handle  the  train,  and  the  people  in  Kansas,  Colorado, 
Wyoming,  Utah,  and  Nebraska  were  thereby  permitted  to  see  the 
exhibits. 

The  train  on  September  1  was  returned  to  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  patriotic  cooperation  of  the  three 
railroads  mentioned,  and  particularly  the  Baltimore  &  Oliio,  it  would 
haA^e  been  impossible  to  exhibit  this  train,  for  there  were  no  appro- 
priations to  take  care  of  the  immense  expenditure  necessary. 

The  train  was  an  effort  to  give  the  public  a  much  clearer  idea  of 
the  humanitarian  work  being  accomplished  by  the  Government. 
Such  an  exposition  had  never  before  been  witnessed  by  the  people. 
Those  who  have  been  fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to  visit  Washing- 
ton and  spend  a  few  daj^s  in  learning  about  the  Government's  activi- 
ties have  been  privileged  to  see  a  number  of  those  exhibits  at  various 
times,  but  never  before  has  practically  the  entire  "  safety  first  •'  work 
of  the  Government  been  assembled  on  a  train.  That  the  people  were 
surprised  at  the  extent  of  the  Government's  interest  in  their  behalf 
was  manifest  every  day  the  train  was  on  its  itinerary.  It  became  a 
common  expression  that  no  one  before  had  had  any  idea  of  the 
practical  work  the  Federal  Government  was  doing  along  these  lines. 

The  Government  issues  millions  of  publications  each  year  on  the 
subjects  depicted  b}'  the  train,  but  these  unfortunately  do  not  lend 
themselves  to  such  graphic  presentation  as  the  actual  apparatus  used 
in  these  endeavors.  It  is  a  safe  assumption  that  many  of  the  visitors 
left  the  train  better  American  citizens  and  with  a  much  clearer  view 
of  the  helpfulness  of  the  Federal  Government  to  the  people. 

The  plan  of  having  a  railway  train  take  to  the  doorsteps  of  the 
people  an  exhibit  of  the  work  of  the  Government  originated  in  the 
Department  of  the  Interior.  The  detailed  work  of  bringing  the 
exhibits  of  the  various  departments  and  bureaus  together  was  as- 
signed to  Mr.  Van.  H.  Manning,  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines, 
who  was  designated  as  the  executive  officer  in  charge  of  the  train. 
The  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines  was  assisted  by  Mr.  Morton  F. 
Leopold,  also  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines,  who  had  immediate  charge  of 
the  train  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Manning. 

It  is  needless  to  state  that  all  of  those  who  aided  in  preparing 
the  exhibit  showed  enthusiasm  and  hearty  cooperation  and  that  they 
did  everything  possible  to  make  the  train  the  big  success  it  proved 
to  be. 

The  Federal  Government,  which  has  more  than  25  different  bureaus 
engaged  in  efforts  to  reduce  the  enormous  loss  of  life  and  property 
through  accident,  concluded  in  the  early  part  of  1916  that  it  might 
be  able  to  quicken  the  public  interest  in  safety  by  giving  a  demonstra- 
tion of  some  of  its  methods.    Also,  as  Congress  was  in  session  at  the 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST    TKAIX.  5 

time,  it  was  thoiififht  that  such  an  exposition  ■would  be  of  value  to  the 
men  who  make  the  Nation's  Lnvs.  Accordingly,  in  the  AA'eek  of  Febru- 
ary 21  to  26,  1916,  there  was  held  at  the  National  INIuseum,  in  Wash- 
ington, a  Safety  First  Exposition,  in  which  25  Federal  bureaus,  the 
American  Red  Cross  Society,  and  the  District  of  Columbia  police  de- 
partment participated.  During  the  week  35,000  persons  visited  this 
exposition.  This  highly  successful  Safety-First  Exposition  was  re- 
sponsible for  the  conceiving  of  the  idea  of  a  Government  Safety-First 
Special  Train.  It  was  the  consensus  of  opinion  among  the  officials 
that  the  exposition  was  of  great  educational  value  and  regret  was 
expressed  that  such  an  exposition  could  not  be  made  in  every  city 
and  town  in  the  country.  Mr.  Daniel  Willard,  president  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Eailroad,  was  requested  to  loan  a  modern  train 
of  12  cars  to  carry  the  exhibits  throughout  the  countr}^  Mr.  Wil- 
lard responded  promptly  and  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Federal 
Government  a  train  of  as  many  steel  cars  as  were  necessary  to  house 
the  various  exhibits,  and  gave  the  assurance  that  the  train  would  be 
hauled  free  of  charge  over  his  lines.  This  train  was  assembled  in 
Washington  and  was  ready  for  departure  over  the  lines  of  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  on  May  1. 

The  task  of  organizing  the  exhibits  and  obtaining  the  necessary 
cooperation  of  the  different  departments  and  bureaus  was  intrusted 
to  Mr.  Van.  H.  Manning,  Director  of  the  Bureau  of  ]\Iines.  In  a 
short  time  10  steel  cars  were  filled  with  representative  exhibits  of  the 
"  safety  first "  work  being  conducted  by  the  Federal  Government. 
So  thoroughly  was  the  work  done  and  so  varied  and  complete  were 
the  exhibits  that  many  persons  closely  associated  with  the  work  of 
the  Federal  Government  were  surprised  and  exclaimed  that  they 
had  not  thought  it  possible  to  obtain  such  a  complete  exposition  of 
the  humanitarian  work  of  the  Government  in  a  train  of  10  cars. 

The  President,  members  of  the  Cabinet,  various  officials  of  the 
Federal  Government,  and  the  officials  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad  were  invited  to  inspect  the  train  before  its  departure. 
On  the  morning  of  May  1,  prominent  Government  and  railroad 
officials  gathered  at  the  Union  Station  for  the  occasion.  The  Gov- 
ernment party  included  the  President  and  Mrs.  Wilson ;  Hon.  Robert 
Lansing,  Secretary  of  State ;  Byron  R.  Newton,  Assistant  Secretary, 
Department  of  the  Treasury;  Hon.  Newton  D.  Baker,  Secretary  of 
War;  Hon.  Josephus  Daniels,  Secretary  of  the  Navy;  Hon.  Franklin 
K.  Lane,  Secretary  of  the  Interior;  Carl  Vrooman,  Assistant  Secre- 
tary, Department  of  Agriculture;  Hon.  William  C.  Redfield,  Sec- 
retary of  Commerce:  Hon.  William  B.  Wilson,  Secretary  of  Labor; 
Hon.  Thomas  W.  Gregory,  Attorney  General :  IVIr.  Joseph  P.  Tum- 
ulty, Secretary  to  the  President ;  Hon.  Bo  Sweeney,  Assistant  Secre- 


6 


THE    SAFETY-FIEST    TRAIN. 


tary  of  the  Interior;  Hon.  A.  A.  Jones,  First  Assistant  Secretary 
of  the  Interior;  Mr.  Van.  H.  Manning,  Director  of  the  Bureau  of 
Mines;  Mr.  A.  P.  Davis,  Director  of  the  Reclamation  Service;  Mr. 
B.  H.  Meyer,  chairman.  Interstate  Commerce  Commission;  and 
Mr.  W.  M.  Daniels,  commissioner.  Interstate  Commerce  Commission. 
The  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  Avas  represented  by  Mr.  Daniel 
Willard,  president;  Mr.  George  F.  Randolph,  first  vice  president; 
Mr.  George  M.  Shriver,  second  vice  president ;  Mr.  A.  W.  Thompson, 
third  vice  president;  Mr.  J.  V.  McXeal,  fourth  vice  president;  Mr. 
Charles  W.  Galloway,  general  manager;  and  Mr.  O.  P.  McCarty, 
passenger  traffic  manager. 


PRESIDENT  WILSON  VISITING  THE  TRAIN  AT  UNION  STATION,  WASHINGTON. 

The  President,  members  of  the  Cabinet,  Mv.  Willard,  and  other 
Government  and  railroad  officials  all  expressed  themselves  as  being 
pleased  not  only  with  the  remarkable  demonstration  of  the  "  safety 
first "  Avork  of  the  Federal  Government,  but  also  at  the  great  oppor- 
tunity that  w^ould  be  afforded  the  citizens  of  the  country. 

President  Wilson  took  a  very  active  and  earnest  interest  in  the 
Safety-First  Train.  In  a  letter  commenting  on  the  SafetA^-First 
Train,  the  President  said : 

Particularly  at  this  time  it  is  wise  and  wholesome  that  the  Federal  GoA^ern- 
ment  should  call  the  attention  of  the  people  of  the  country  to  what  the  Go\'ern- 
ment  is  doing  to  preserve  life,  the  greatest  of  all  the- resources  of  the  Nation. 


THE   SAFETY-FIEST    TRAIN.  7 

The  rescuer  of  the  Buretui  of  Mines  who  braves  the  poisonous  jrases  of  a 
mine  and  saves  a  miner  from  deatli ;  the  coast  guard  wlio  at  tlie  peril  of  liis 
own  life  saves  the  passengers  of  a  helpless  vessel  from  death ;  the  surgeon  of 
the  Public  Health  Service  who  slops  a  dreaded  scourge  in  its  incipiency  and 
saves  thousands  of  lives;  the  engineer  who  succeeds  in  reducing  the  hazards 
of  his  industry  to  its  men ;  and  the  man  who  brings  about  better  conditions  of 
living  among  the  people,  I  consider  all  types  of  the  hero  who  will  be  most  re- 
garded in  the  near  future. 

The  Federal  Oovennnent  is  doing  an  exceedingly  h(>l])ful  work  along  just 
such  lines,  and  I  iloubt  if  the  public  appreciates  how  extensive  and  important 
that  work  is.  I  especially  like  your  idea  of  making  this  as  much  as  possible 
a  national  affair.  Every  manufacturer,  every  railroad  man,  every  miner,  every 
operator,  every  workman,  and  every  humane  person  in  the  counti\v  ought  to 
be  interested.     I  sincerelv  wish  you  success  in  this  un(l(M'takincr. 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  CABINET  AND  RAILROAD  OFFICIALS  AT  THE  DEPARTURE 

OF  THE  TRAIN. 

The  train,  consisting  of  12  steel  coaches,  including  a  sleeper  and 
a  diner,  hauled  by  two  powerful  passenger  locomotives,  then  de- 
parted on  its  first  long  trip  over  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  System. 

The  train  in  the  next  nine  weeks  visited  50  representative  cities 
and  towns  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Eailroad  System,  and  in  prac- 
tically every  instance  was  greeted  with  crowds  that  were  limited 
only  by  the  capacity  of  the  train  to  care  for  them.  In  many  cities 
the  civic  organizations  visited  the  train  in  a  body,  schools  and  col- 
leges were  closed  for  the  day,  and  many  manufacturers  allowed  their 
employees  sufficient  time  to  view  the  exhibits.    Everywhere  the  extent 


8 


THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN. 


and  instructiveness  of  the  exhibits  were  highly  praised.  The  only 
dissatisfaction  heard  was  that,  with  the  great  throngs  pressing 
through  the  train,  it  was  difficult  for  many  people  to  give  as 
much  time  as  they  wished  to  viewing  the  exhibits.  In  a  number  of 
places  students  of  universities,  colleges,  and  schools  recorded  their 
impressions  in  notebooks  as  they  passed  through  the  cars,  and  after- 
wards discussed  in  the  classroom  what  they  had  seen.  Altogether 
318.634  persons  visited  the  train  in  the  nine  weeks  it  was  on  the  Bal- 
timore &  Ohio  Kailroad  System,  an  average  of  5,900  persons  a  day. 
At  the  different  places  visited  evening  lectures,  illustrated  by 
motion  pictures  of  the  work  of  the  various  Government  bureaus, 
were  given  in  the  open  air,  the  screen  being  placed  on  adjoining 
buildings  or  freight  cars,  where  it  was  visible  to  the  large  crowds 


TYPICAL  CROWD  WAITING  TO  VIEW  THE  EXHIBITS. 


that  invariably  gathered.  The  motion  pictures  depicted  the  work  of 
the  Army  and  the  Navy,  the  Public  Health  Service  in  its  health 
campaigns,  the  Bureau  of  Mines  in  its  efforts  to  save  life  in  the 
mines,  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission's  work  in  reducing 
accidents  on  trains,  modern  farming  methods  by  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  and  many  other  features  of  the  Government  activities. 
The  total  attendance  at  the  motion-picture  shows  for  the  cities  on 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  System  was  8G.100. 

Mr.  Manning,  whohad  direct  charge  of  the  operation  of  the  train, 
was  compelled  by  the  press  of  official  business  in  Washington  to 
leave  after  it  reached  Baltimore,  Md..  at  the  end  of  the  first  week, 
and  the  train  was  placed  in  immediate  charge  of  Morton  F.  Leopold, 
of  the  Bureau  of  Mines,  throughout  its  subsequent  itinerary. 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN. 


At  some  places  the  public  interest  in  this  Safety  First  Train  drew 
such  large  crowds  that  all  the  people  could  not  see  the  exhibits,  it 
being  estimated  that  on  the  lialtimore  &  Ohio  System  12,350  citizens 
Avere  turned  awav.     The  officials  in  charge  of  the  train  regretted 


s^ 


a 


H 
O 


deeply  that  every  citizen  could  not  have  an  opportunitv  to  visit  the 
train,  and  in  a  number  of  instances  thev  voluntarilv  held  the  train 
open  long  after  the  regular  closing  time. 

Long  before  the  itinerary  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  System  had 
been  completed  various  other  railroads  of  the  country  were  asking 
69567°— 17 2 


10  THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN". 

that  the  train  might  traverse  their  systems,  and  a  number  of  the 
representatives  of  these  roads  visited  Washington  to  present  their 
request  in  person.  President  WiHard  of  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
was  consulted  as  to  his  willingness  to  continue  the  loan  of  the 
train  for  exposition  purposes,  it  being  realized  that  this  train  of 
12  steel  cars  represented  a  considerable  outlay  and,  so  far  as  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  was  concerned,  w^as  not  producing  reve- 
nue. Mr.  Willard,  in  a  patriotic  spirit,  stated  that  the  train  would 
be  at  the  service  of  the  United  States  Government  as  long  as  it 
was  needed,  the  only  requirement  being  that  it  should  be  returned 
to  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  when  the  Government  was  through  with  it. 

Finally,  it  w^as  decided  that  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Rail- 
way should  have  the  train  during  the  month  of  July,  that  road 
having  agreed  to  haul  the  train  over  its  lines  free  of  charge,  and 
the  train  was  delivered  to  that  railroad  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  July  2. 

Twenty-one  cities  and  towns  in  Missouri,  Kansas,  and  Oklahoma 
were  visited  during  July,  the  exhibits  being  inspected  by  crowds  as 
large  and  as  eager  to  view  the  exhibits  as  those  on  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  System.  Altogether  107,779  persons  saw  the  exhibits  on  the 
Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railway,  an  average  of  4,686  persons 
each  day. 

By  this  time  news  of  the  train  and  the  unique  educational  advan- 
tages of  the  exhibits  had  spread  throughout  the  entire  United  States, 
and  there  seemed  to  be  additional  eagerness  to  learn  of  the  work 
the  Federal  Government  is  doing  for  "  safety  first."  At  some  places 
the  attendance  equaled  and  even  exceeded  the  entire  population  of 
the  town,  people  coming  to  visit  the  train  from  miles  around.  As 
the  Government  officials  in  the  train  gained  experience  in  handling 
large  crowds  j^ractically  eveiyone  Avho  visited  the  train  was  able  to 
see  the  exhibits.  In  but  one  instance  on  this  railway  were  persons 
turned  away,  2,000  people  being  disappointed  at  Joplin,  Mo.  The 
motion  pictures  shown  in  the  evenings  were  witnessed  by  46,000  per- 
sons. The  itinerary  over  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  System 
ended  July  28  at  Kansas  City,  Kans.,  and  the  train  was  then  turned 
over  to  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  which  had  put  in  its  application 
many  weeks  before.  On  this  itinerary,  which  began  July  31  at  Law- 
rence, Kans.,  the  train  visited  24  cities  and  towns  in  the  States  of 
Kansas,  Colorado,  Wyoming,  Utah,  and  Nebraska.  Altogether 
105,569  persons  visited  the  train,  an  average  of  4,060  people  a  day. 
Many  of  the  westerners  came  miles  to  see  the  exhibits.  Only  500 
persons  were  turned  away;  this  occurred  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah, 
on  August  21.  Motion-picture  lectures  w^ere  attended  by  28,500  per- 
sons. The  itinerary  on  this  system  ended  at  Beatrice,  Nebr.,  on 
August  29.  The  train  was  then  returned  to  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad. 


THE   SAFETY-FIEST    TRAIN.  11 

The  thanks  of  the  (joverninent  officers  are  due  to  Mr.  Daniel 
WiUard,  president  of  the  liakimore  &  Ohio  Raih'oad;  Mr.  C.  E. 
Schaff,  receiver,  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Kaihvay;  and  Mr. 
J.  M.  Guild,  safety  agent.  Union  Pacific  Raih'oad,  for  the  many 
courtesies  extended.  The  railroad  officials  not  only  carried  the  train 
over  their  lines  free  of  charge,  but  also  provided  the  necessary  em- 
ployees, and  did  a  great  deal  toward  notifying  the  people  in  the 
cities  visited  regarding  the  schedule  for  the  exhibit. 

Secretary  I..ane*s  appreciation  of  the  action  of  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Railroad  in  loaning  the  train  is  shown  by  the  following  letter 
of  the  Secretary  to  Mr.  WiHard: 

The  Safety-First  Special  Train  has,  as  you  are  aware,  just  completed  its 
60-day  itinerary  over  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  llailruad  System  and  is  now  being 
tiu-ned  over  to  the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railway  for  a  period  of  30  days, 
and  from  there  to  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  for  a  similar  period,  to  be  then 
returned  to  you. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  completion  of  the  itinerary  over  your  lines  allow  me, 
in  behalf  of  the  Federal  Government,  to  express  to  you  and  through  you  to  each 
and  every  oflicial  of  your  company  concerned  my  warm  appreciation  of  the 
splendid  cooperation  that  has  been  given. 

It  must  be  a  matter  of  gratitication  to  yourself  and  to  the  railroad  you  repre- 
sent that  It  has  been  the  pioneer  in  a  humanitarian  movement  that  has  already 
conveyed  to  several  hundred  thousand  citizens  a  most  necessary  knowledge 
concerning  the  protection  of  their  lives  and  their  property.  I  only  hope  that 
your  efforts  are  to  be  the  forerunner  of  a  permanent  Government  railway  expo- 
sition that  will  give  all  of  the  people  an  opportunity  to  see  what  the  Federal 
Government  is  doing  for  them  along  these  lines. 

The  Government's  representatives  on  the  Safety-First  Train  have  conveyed  to 
me  that  your  representatives  have  done  everything  humanly  possible  for  com- 
fort and  safety  in  the  operation  and  management  of  the  train  and  have  asked  me 
to  convey  their  sincere  appreciation  of  the  many  courtesies  and  favors  extended 
to  them.  I  am  only  too  glad  to  do  this,  for  I  believe  that  every  railroad  man 
in  any  way  connected  with  the  train  has  been  imbued  with  the  same  spirit  of 
friendly  cooperation  as  has  been  manifested  by  yourself. 

OFFICES  REPRESENTED. 

The  departments  and  bureaus  which  took  part  in  the  Safety  First 
Train  and  their  representatives  were  as  follows : 

Department  of  the  Treasury  : 
Public  Health  Service — 
■      Dr.  C.  E.  Banks. 
M.  L.  Cole. 
V.  R.  Loving. 
Dr.  Liston  Paine. 
T.  .T.  Curtis. 
T.  A.  Thornton. 


12  THE    SAFETY-FIEST    TRAIN. 

Department  of  the  Treasury — Continued. 
Coast  Guard — 

Lieut.  W.  J.  Wheeler. 

Quartermaster  J.  F.  McNulty. 

Gunner  Frederick  Block. 
Department  of  War : 
J.  J.  Hittinger. 
Sergt.  A.  F.  Springer. 
Sergt.  F.  C.  Phiuney. 
Sergt.  E.  C.  Whallon. 
Sergt.  S.  M.  Yarbrough. 
Department  of  the  Navy  : 

Marine  Corps  and  Bureaus  of  Navigation,  Yards  and  DocliS,  Ordnance,  Con- 
struction and  Repair,  Steam  Engineering,  Supplies  and  Accounts,  Medi- 
cine and  Surgery — 

Chief  Master  at  Arms  Charles  Mitchell. 

Sergt.  J.  Leinhart. 

Chief  Electrician  J.  J.  Brierly. 

Chief  Electrician  G.  T.  Tansey. 

Chief  Electrician  T.  L.  Murphy. 

Hospital  Apprentice  C.  T.  Chandler. 
Department  of  the  Interior  : 
Office  of  Indian  Affairs — 

No  representative. 
Reclamation  Service — 

W.  I.  Swanton. 

E.  J.  IMcIntosh. 
Bureau  of  Mines — 

George  Riggs. 

J.  D.  Morey. 

Henry  Nichols,  jr. 

T.  F.  Bell. 
National  parks — 

Don  E.  Clarke. 
Department  of  Agriculture: 
Weather  Bureau — 

R.  H.  Finch. 
Bureau  of  Animal  Industry — 

No  representative. 
Forest  Service — 

E.  L.  Lindsay. 

C.  T.  Forster. 

A.  A.  Ormsby. 
Interstate  Commerce  Commis.sion : 
O.  C.  Cash. 
T.  C.  Hays. 
John  Hall. 
Harvey  Boltw^ood. 
A.  D.  Rogers. 
J.  G.  Adair. 
American  National  Rpd  Cross: 
Dr.  M.  J.  Shields. 
Dr.  T.  Harlan. 
Dr.  Eric  S.  Green. 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST   TRAIN. 


13 


ITINERARY. 

The  Safety  First  Train,  on  its  entire  itinerary,  from  May  1  to 
August  29,  visited  87  cities  and  towns  in  10  States,  and  traveled 
9,093  miles  in  reaching  these  places. 

Among  the  large  cities  visited  were  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  Baltimore, 
INId. ;  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  Springfield,  111.;  Louisville,  Ky. ;  Cincinnati, 
Ohio;  Dayton,  Ohio;  Chicago,  111.;  Toledo,  Ohio;  Columbus,  Ohio; 
Akron,  Ohio;  Youngstown,  Ohio;  Pittsburgh,  Pa.;  Cleveland,  Ohio; 
Oklahoma  City,  Okla. ;  Kansas  City,  Ivans.;  Denver,  Colo.;  Salt 
Lake  City,  Utah,  and  Omaha,  Nebr. 

The  total  number  of  visitors  was  531,982,  and  the  average  daily 
attendance  was  5,215.  This  w^as  practically  the  capacity  of  the  train 
to  take  care  of  the  visitors.  Motion  pictures  of  the  various  activities 
of  the  Government  were  shown  to  140,600  persons. 


Cities  and  towns  visited. 

BALTIMORE  &  OHIO  SYSTEM. 


Date. 

Place. 

Visit- 
ors. 

Esti- 
mated 
attend- 
ance at 
motion- 
picture 
exhibi- 
tions. 

Date. 

Place. 

Visit- 
ors. 

Esti- 
mated 
attend- 
ance at 
motion- 
picture 
exhibi- 
tions. 

May      1-2 
3 

Philadelphia,  Pa — 
Chester,  Pa 

3,211 
6,250 
3,100 

14,315 
5,771 
8,883 
3,807 
3,707 
8,100 
5,002 
7,378 
6,732 
6,537 
8,808 
8,010 
7, 485 
8,118 
6,972 

10,686 
7,068 
5,947 
6,319 
5,655 

11,158 

1,600 
1,000 
1,000 

(') 

4,000 

3,000 

(') 

3,000 

3,500 

2,500 

2,500 

3,000 

3,000 

2,000 

2,500 

2,500 

2,500 

0) 

0) 

3,000 

2,500 

2,000 

2,000 

0) 

June      1-2 

3 

5-6 

7 

8 

9-10 

12 

13 

.    14-15 

16 

17 

19-20 

21 

22-23 

24 

26 

27 

28-29 

30 

Cincinnati,  Ohio... . 

Hamilton,  Ohio 

Dayton,  Ohio 

Piqua,  Ohio 

11,558 
7, 684 

13, 396 
5,616 
6,855 
6,094 
4,052 
5,404 
4,486 
6,906 
6,547 

11,974 
5,571 

14,239 
5,821 
5,730 
8,191 

14, 754 

4,737 

3,000 

4 
5-6 

Newark,  Del 

Baltimore,  Md 

Frederick,  Md 

Hagerstown,  Md 

Winchester,  Va 

Martinsburg,W.  Va. 

Cumberland,  Md 

Grafton, W.  Va 

Morgantown.W.  Va. 
Fainnont,W.  Va.... 
Clarksburg,  W.  Va. . 
Parkersburg.W.  Va. 

Marietta,  Ohio 

Athens,  Ohio 

Chillicothe.Ohio.... 
East  St.  Louis,  111... 

St.  Louis  Mo 

Springfield,  111 

Vinceimes,  Ind 

Washington,  Ind 

Seymour,  Ind 

Louisville,  Ky 

1,000 
1,500 

g 

Lima,  Ohio 

2  000 

9 

Chicago,  111 

(>) 

2,000 

(M 

(') 

2,000 

2,000 

5,500 

3,000 

7,000 

3,000 

3,000 

4,000 

(') 

(>) 

10 
10 
11 
12 
13 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
22 
■      23-24 
25 

Toledo,  Ohio 

Sandusky,  Ohio 

Cleveland,  Ohio 

Akron,  Ohio 

Yoimgstown,  Ohio. . 

Pittsburgh,  Pa 

Washington,  Pa 

Wheeling, W.  Va... 

Cambridge,  Ohio 

Zanesville,  Ohio 

Newark,  Ohio 

Columbus,  Ohio 

Chicago     Junction, 
Ohio 

26 

27 

29 

30-31 

Total,    Balti- 
more &  Ohio 
System 

318,634 

86,100 

MISSOURI,  KANSAS  &  TEXAS  SYSTEM. 


Julv 


3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

-18 


Columbia,  Mo 

Boonville,  Mo 

Sedalia,  Mo 

Clinton,  Mo 

Nevada,  Mo 

Fort  Scott,  Kans 

Joplin,  Mo 

Columbus,  Kans 

Parsons^  Kans 

Coffey  ville,  Kans 

Bartlesville,  Okla. . . 

Tulsa,  Okla 

Oklahoma        City, 
Okla 


5,141 

3,000 

3,357 

2,000 

5,318 

3,000 

3,087 

2,000 

2,842 

(') 

3,746 

2,000 

5,847 

5,000 

3,753 

1,500 

4,564 

2,000 

5,182 

3,000 

4,767 

3,000 

5,726 

2,000 

9,053 

3,500 

July 


19 
20 
21 

22 
24 
25 
26 
27-28 


Shawnee.  Okla 

Ada,  Okla 

McAlester,  Okla 

Muskogee,  Okla 

Vinita,  Okla 

Chanute,  Kans 

lola,  Kans 

Kansas  City,  Kans. . 

Total,  Mis- 
souri, Kan- 
sas &  Texas 
System 


4,463 
4,904 
4,  487 
5, 307 
3,393 
4,  487 
5,622 
12,  733 


107, 779 


1,500 
3,000 

(') 

2,000 

2,000 

2,  iM) 

3,000 

(0 


46,000 


'^  None  shown. 


14 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN. 
Cities  and  towns  visited — Continued. 

UNION  PACIFIC  SYSTEM. 


Date. 

Place. 

Visit- 
ors. 

Esti- 
mated 
attend- 
ance at 
motion- 
picture 
exhibi- 
tions. 

Date. 

Place. 

Visit- 
ors. 

Esti- 
mated 
attend- 
ance at 
motion- 
picture 
exhibi- 
tions. 

July        31 

Aug.         1 

2 

Lawrence,  Kans 

Topeka,  Kans 

Manhattan^  Kans. . . 
Junction  City,  Kans. 

Salena,  Kans 

Ellis,  Kans 

4,331 
4.S56 
3,717 
3,737 
4,386 
2,193 
15, 157 
5,765 
4,961 
2,609 
1,362 
2,219 
4,121 
1,085 
2,356 

3,000 

3,000 

1,500 

2,000 

2,000 

1,000 

(') 

3,000 

3,000 

1,000 

(0 

500 
2,000 
(1) 
0) 

Aug.         18 
19-21 

22 
23 
24 
25-26 
28 
29 

Ogden,  Utah 

Salt  Lake. City, 
Utah 

4,488 

7,973 
1,434 
2,954 
4,281 
12, 794 
4,814 
3,976 

0) 

(') 

500 
2,000 
2,000 

3 
4 
5 

Sidney,  Nebr 

North  Platte,  Nebr.. 
Grand  Island,  Nebr. 

Omaha,  Nebr 

Lincoln,  Nebr 

Beatrice,  Nebr 

Total,    Union 
Pacific  Sys- 
tem   

7-8 

9 

10 
11 

Denver,  Colo 

Greeley,  Colo 

Cheyenne,  Wyo 

Laramie^  Wyb 

Haruia,  Wyo 

Rawlins,  Wyo 

Rock  Springs,  Wyo. 
Green  River,  Wyb.. 
Evanston,  Wyo 

2,000 

12 
14 
15 

105, 569 

2S  .5nn 

16 

17 

Grand  total . . . 

531,982 

160, 600 

'  None  shown. 


DEATHS  THROUGH  ACCIDENTS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

There  are  in  the  United  States  each  year  approximately  75,000 
deaths  through  accidents — practically  the  population  of  a  fair-sized 
American  city  wiped  out  every  12  months. 

It  is  estimated  by  investigators  wdio  have  given  much  thought 
to  the  subject  that  the  number  annually  injured  is  more  than 
2,000,000  persons.  There  are  no  official  figures  showing  the  total 
number  injured. 

The  statistics  as  to  fatalities  are  entirely  inadequate,  although 
attempts  have  been  made  by  the  Bureau  of  the  Census,  Department 
of  Commerce,  to  give  the  number  of  violent  deaths  each  year  in 
Avhat  is  known  as  the  registration  area.  This  area,  which  is  being 
enlarged  each  year,  now  comprises  25  States  (in  one  of  which,  North 
Carolina,  registration  applies  only  to  municipalities  which  had  1,000 
population  or  over  in  1900),  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  32  cities 
in  nonregistration  States,  and  in  1914  contained  two-thirds  of  the 
total  estimated  population  of  the  United  States. 

Taking  the  statistics  of  violent  deaths  in  the  registration  area  of 
the  United  States  as  compiled  by  the  Bureau  of  the  Census  and  esti- 
mating on  this  basis  the  approximate  number  of  persons  yearly 
killed  by  accident  in  the  entire  United  States  give  the  following 
totals : 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST   TRAIN.  15 

Estimated  nunihcr  of  persons  killed  bu  uccidetit  in  the  United  S>tates. 

1908 72.335 

1909 72,679 

1910 : 77,900 

1911 79,431 

1912 78,757 

1913 82,963 

1914 77,500 

These  estimates  do  not  include  deaths  from  homicide  and  suicide 
and  represent  onl}'  violent  deaths  from  accidents.  While  the  Bureau 
of  the  Census  never  officialh^  makes  an  estimate  for  the  entire  country 
from  the  figures  of  the  registration  area,  it  is  thought  that  the  above 
statistics  are  fairly  accurate,  inasmuch  as  the  occupational  hazards 
in  the  registration  area  may  be  regarded  as  fairly  representative  of 
those  throughout  the  country.  For  instance,  while  the  nonregistra- 
tion area  contains  certain  sparsely  settled  agricultural  States  wherein 
the  hazard  of  fatal  accidents  is  supposedly  lower  than  in  industrial 
States,  yet  this  area  does  contain  such  important  industrial  States  as 
AVest  Virginia,  Oklahoma,  Xew  Mexico,  and  others,  so  that  the  aver- 
age for  all  of  them  will  perhaps  be  about  the  same  as  for  the  regis- 
tration States. 

• 

The  Bureau  of  the  Census  also  has  certain  statistics  for  the  regis- 
tration area  which  show  the  accidental  deaths  of  persons  10  years 
of  age  or  older  engaged  in  gainful  occupations.  Unfortunately,  these 
statistics  were  found  to  be  unsatisfactory  and  were  not  tabulated, 
owing  to  the  failure  of  physicians  throughout  the  country  to  fill  in 
the  death  certificates  in  such  a  manner  as  to  permit  accurate  tabula- 
tion. It  is  hoped,  now  that  there  are  workmen's  compensation 
bureaus  in  more  than  30  States,  that  in  the  future  more  accurate 
statistics  of  fatal  accidents  will  be  obtainable. 

Taking  the  official  figures  of  the  Bureau  of  the  Census  for  the  lust 
two  years  they  were  available,  or  until  their  tabulation  was  given  up, 
and  applying  these  statistics  to  the  entire  country,  it  is  estimated  that 
about  40,000  persons  are  killed  at  their  occupations  each  year  in  the 
United  States. 

The  figures  for  the  entire  countrv  for  the  two  years  are  as  follows : 


'fe' 


Estimated   nioiiher  of  aeeidental  deaths   of  persons  10  years  of  age  or  over 

engaged  in  gainful  oeeupations. 

1908 40,775 

1909 41,144 

For  the  information  of  anyone  who  may  wish  to  know  the  figures 
on  which  the  previously  mentioned  estimates  were  based,  the  follow- 


16 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN. 


ing  statistics,  from  the  Bureau  of  the  Census,  on  deaths  in  the 
registration  area  are  given: 

Deaths  in  registration  area. 


Per  cent 
the  popula- 
tion of  the 
registration 
area  formed 
of  the  popu- 
lation of  the 
United 
States. 

Deaths. 

All  causes. 

Accidental  or  undefined  violence. 

Year. 

Number. 

Per  cent  of  all  causes. 

Both 
sexes. 

Males.      J,^. 

Both 
sexes. 

Males. 

Fe- 
males. 

Both 
sexes. 

Males. 

Fe- 
males. 

1914 

66.8  '  898.059 

491,416  i  406,643 
489,128     401.720 

51,770 
54,011 
49, 775 
50, 121 
45,416 
40, 773 
37,976 

39,447 
41,757 
38,233 
38, 3.35 
35, 731 
31,588 
29,570 

12,323 

12,  2.54 

11,542 

11,786 

9,685 

9, 185 

8,406 

5.8 
6.1 
5  9 
6.0 
5,6 
5.6 
5.5 

8.0 
8.5 
8  3 
8.4 
8.1 
7.9 

7.a 

3.0 

1913 

65.1 
63.2 
63.1 
58.3 
56.1 
52.5 

890,848 
838, 251 
839, 284 
80.5,412 
732,  .538 
691,574 

3.1 

1912 

459,112 
457, 308 
439, 757 
398, 597 
375, 497 

379, 139 
381,976 
365, 655 
333, 941 
316,077 

3.0 

1911 

3.1 

1910 

2.6 

1909 

2.8 

1908 

2.7 

Deaths  in  the  registration  area  of  persons  II)  years  of  age  and  over  engaged 

ill  gainful  oecupations. 


Per  cent 
the  popula- 
tion of  the 
registration 
area  formed 
of  the  popu- 
lation of  the 
United 
States. 

Deaths. 

All  causes. 

Accidental  or  undefined  violence. 

Year. 

Number. 

Per  cent  of  all  causes. 

Both 

sexes. 

Males. 

Fe- 
males. 

Both 
se.xes. 

Males. 

Fe- 
males. 

Both 

sexes. 

Males. 

Fe- 
males. 

1009      

56.1 
52.5 

237,966 

222,412 

210,507 

27, 459 

23,082 
21,407 

22.201 
20,551 

881 
856 

9.7 
9.6 

10.5 
10.5 

3.2 

1908 

196, 207 

26, 205 

3.3 

It  is  difficult  to  draw  any  definite  conchisions  from  the  estimates 
of  the  number  of  accidental  deaths  in  the  United  States  in  the  last 
seven  years,  as  given  in  the  first  table.  However,  it  is  interesting  to 
note  that  in  the  year  1911  the  number  of  accidental  deaths  was  5,166 
less  than  in  1913.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  year  1913  the  accidental 
deaths  numbered  4,209  more  than  in  1912.  There  is  encouragement 
in  the  low  estimate  of  accidental  deaths  in  1914,  77,500,  or  less  than  in 
any  year  since  1910,  despite  a  steadily  increasing  population,  which 
shows  in  the  five  years  a  gain  of  nearly  six  and  a  half  million. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  improvement  for  1914  indicates  a  per- 
manent decrease  in  death  rates  from  accidents.  There  are  signs  that 
this  hope  may  be  realized.  In  a  summary  of  the  principal  causes 
of  death  in  1914  in  the  registration  area,  recently  issued  by  the 
Bureau  of  the  Census,  the  following  statements  appear : 

Deaths  due  to  railway  aot-idents  and  injuries  totaled  7,062.  or  10.7  per  100,000. 
This  number  includes  fatalities  resulting  from  collisions  between  railway  trains 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST    TEAIN.  17 

and  vehicles  at  grade  crossiugs.  The  death  rate  from  railway  accidents  and 
injuries  is  the  lowest  on  record  and  shows  a  most  marked  and  gratifying  decline 
as  compared  witli  the  rate  for  1913,  which  was  13  per  100.000,  and  a  still  more 
pronounced  drop  from  the  average  for  the  five-year  period  I'JUG-liilO,  which  was 
15  per  100,000. 

Deaths  resulting  from  street-car  accidents  and  in.iurics  luiinlwred  1.673,  or 
2.5  per  100.000.  This  rate,  like  that  for  railway  fatalities,  is  the  lowest  on 
record  and  shows  a  material  falling  off  as  compared  with  1913,  when  it  was  3.2, 
and  as  compared  with  the  average  for  the  five-year  period  1906-1910,  which 
was  3.7. 

Further  evidence  is  supplied  by  the  Bureau  of  Mines,  Department 
of  the  Interior,  in  its  recenth'  published  statistics  on  coal-mining 
accidents  for  1915.     This  bureau  makes  these  statements: 

The  actual  number  of  men  killed  in  the  coal  mines  in  1915  was  the 
lowest  in  the  last  eight  years. 

The  death  rate  for  each  1,000  men  employed  was  the  lowest  in  the 
last  16  years. 

The  number  of  tons  of  coal  produced  for  each  miner  killed  was  the 
largest  in  the  entire  history  of  coal  mining  in  the  United  States. 

THE  SAFETY-FIRST  MOVEMENT. 

In  practically  all  lines  of  industrial  endeavor,  this  country,  it  is 
said,  has  been  more  reckless  and  more  prodigal  of  human  life  than 
any  other  civilized  country  in  the  world.  Perhaps  we  are  still  as  a 
young  country  doing  pioneer  work  that  is  necessarily  hazardous; 
perhaps  we  have  not  yet  learned  by  experience  the  lessons  of  older 
and  more  thickly  settled  communities.  Other  countries  once  had 
much  higher  death  rates  from  accidents  than  they  have  now.  Im- 
provement came  with  years  and  through  many  a  sad  experience.  Yet 
if  the  United  States  has  been  backward  the  cheering  fact  remains 
that  this  country,  now  that  it  has  started  in  the  right  direction,  will 
probably  make  rapid  progress.  Quick  perception  of  defects  and 
vigorous  application  of  a  remedy  characterize  our  industrial  growth. 

Thus  the  safety-first  movement  in  the  United  States,  which  began 
about  1906  or  1907  as  a  sporadic  isolated  movement,  has  spread  into 
every  city  and  hamlet,  into  every  workshop,  factory,  and  mine,  until 
to-day  it  is  the  most  potential  agent  for  safety  in  the  entire  country. 
Railroad  companies,  manufacturers,  and  mine  operators  now  keep 
careful  records  of  accidents  and  these  statistics  year  by  year  are 
showing  startling  reductions  in  both  deaths  and  injuries.  Certain 
big  corporations  have  been  especially  active  in  accident  prevention, 
having  organized  safety-first  committees,  employed  safety  engineers, 
and  stimulated  the  interest  in  greater  safety  by  rewarding  foremen 
and   other   officials   for   efficiency   in   preventing   accidents   and   by 

69567°^17^— 3 


18  THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TEAIN. 

organizing  first-aid  teams  among  their  employees.  In  addition, 
municipalities  have  joined  in  the  slogan  "Safety  first"  until  it 
stares  at  the  passer-by  from  street  corners,  street  cars,  and  almost 
every  conceivable  place  of  probable  danger. 

With  this  movement  has  come  more  definite  and  understandable 
traffic  regulations  in  cities,  and  even  the  crossing  policeman  has 
caught  the  safety-first  infection,  and  cautions  pedestrians  with 
"  Watch  your  step,"  "  Heads  up,"  etc. 

THE  FEDERAL   GOVERNMENT  AND  SAFETY  FIRST. 

The  Federal  Government,  charged  with  looking  after  the  general 
welfare  of  the  citizen,  which  includes  his  safety  in  travel  on  land  and 
sea  and,  indirectly,  his  safety  under  all  other  conditions  of  life, 
has  always  encouraged  the  safety-first  movement.  In  fact,  it  was 
the  Bureau  of  ISIines  of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  that,  in  1911, 
in  Pittsburgh,  Pa,,  held  a  great  demonstration  for  20,000  miners,  by 
which  the  safety-first  slogan  was  first  given  national  importance. 
Accident  prevention,  as  a  duty  of  everyday  life,  practically  dates 
from  that  event.  Since  then  safety  first  has  crossed  the  seas  and 
penetrated  the  remote  places  of  the  world,  until  to-day  the  ad- 
monition is  seen  and  heard  in  every  civilized  country. 

Those  who  have  studied  the  appalling  waste  of  life  in  the  United 
States  through  accidents  and  are  solving  the  problems  of  accident 
prevention  believe  that  the  number  of  deaths  and  the  number  of  in- 
juries can  be  cut  in  half.  Such  a  reduction  would  mean  each  year  a 
saving  of  37,750  persons  from  violent  death  and  of  more  than  a 
million  persons  from  injury.  Taking  the  coldly  statistical  view  of 
insurance  companies,  and  eliminating  all  thought  of  the  sorrow  and 
suffering  of  those  left  behind,  each  of  these  lives  is  estimated  to  have 
a  value  of  $10,000;  so  that  if  one-half  of  those  killed  could  be  saved, 
this  saving  would  amount  to  $377,500,000  in  human  resources  in 
one  year.  To  this  total  may  be  added  the  gain  to  the  country  of 
1,000,000  persons  saved  from  injury. 

The  safety-first  idea,  as  the  Government  views  it,  not  only  includes 
the  protection  of  the  citizen  from  injury  or  death  but  also  the  pro- 
tection of  property  from  destruction.  The  two  are  rightfully  as- 
sociated, for  often  the  destruction  of  property  is  accompanied  by 
the  death  of  many  persons,  as  in  a  conflagration,  a  flood,  or  a  rail- 
road wreck.  There  are  no  satisfactory  statistics  to  show  the  many 
millions  of  dollars  lost  each  year  through  the  destruction  of  prop- 
erty, but  it  is  generally  known  that  our  annual  loss  from  fires  alone 
amounts  to  more  than  $200,000,000.  Our  per  capita  fire  loss  is  the 
largest  of  any  civilized  country. 


THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TKAIN.  19 

DESCRIPTION  OF  EXHIBITS. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  TREASURY. 

William  G.  McAdoo,  Secretary. 

PUBLIC  HEALTH  SERVICE. 
Rupert  Blue,  Surgeon  General. 

The  United  States  Public  Health  Service  looks  out  generally  for 
the  public  health,  maintains  quarantine  stations  and  hospitals  for 
seamen,  conducts  the  examination  of  immigrants,  and  keeps  a  watch- 
ful eye  on  the  outbreak  of  epidemics  and  the  spread  of  diseases 
throughout  the  country.  Its  work  in  stopping  the  entrance  of 
cholera,  yellow  fever,  and  plague  at  ports  of  the  United  States  and 
in  fighting  typhoid  fever  and  other  preventable  disease  has  undoubt- 
edly saved  thousands  of  lives. 

"  Health  safety ''  Avas  the  keynote  of  the  exhibit  of  the  United 
States  Public  Health  Service.  Persons  dying  of  typhoid  fever,  ma- 
laria, or  other  preventable  disease  are  in  the  same  class  as  those  killed 
through  the  use  of  faulty  couplers  on  railroad  cars,  inadequate  cross- 
ing signals,  or  the  careless  handling  of  explosives.  Cause  and  effect 
are  acting  in  either  instance  and  the  hazard  to  life  is  similar.  But 
where  one  person  dies  from  accidental  causes  10  perish  from  pre- 
ventable disease,  all  of  which  indicates  that  safety  for  health  is 
perhaps  as  important  as  safety  first  from  accidents. 

The  major  portion  of  the  exhibit  of  the  Health  Service  related  to 
typhoid  fever,  a  disease  which  annually  kills  over  14,000  persons  in 
the  United  States.  For  over  10  years  the  Service  has  conducted  a 
vigorous  campaign  against  this  disease,  the  chief  cause  of  which  is 
the  improper  disposal  of  human  excrement.  Various  types  of  sani- 
tary toilets  and  sewage  tanks  were  displayed.  The  Public  Health 
officials  showed  the  importance  of  the  house  fly  in  the  spread  of 
typhoid  fever  and  displayed  models  of  this  disease-bearing  insect 
in  different  stages  of  development. 

Of  interest  to  farmers  and  dairymen  were  the  large  models  of 
insanitary  and  sanitary  dairies.  Other  models  indicated  that  often- 
times contaminated  water  is  responsible  for  the  spread  of  typhoid. 
Just  how  this  contamination  may  be  brought  about  was  illustrated 
by  a  striking  model  of  a  well  of  interest  to  every  resident  of  a  rural 
community. 

The  Service  also  showed  how  malaria,  another  preventable  disease, 
is  transmitted  by  the  mosquito.  Enlarged  models  of  the  eggs,  larvae, 
and  adults  of  this  insect  were  exhibited.  The  various  methods  of 
mosquito  destruction,  such  as  oiling,  drainage,  and  the  use  of  fish, 
were  also  depicted  most  graphically. 


20  THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TEAIN. 

Probably  the  most  effective  exhibit  was  that  relating  to  smallpox. 
Models  of  two  children,  one  in  the  eruptive  stage  of  smallpox,  the 
other  presenting  every  appearance  of  health,  were  placed  side  by 
side.  The  secret  of  the  second  child's  immunity  rested  in  the  vaccina- 
tion mark.  The  models  were  made  from  photographs  of  actual  cases 
in  the  wards  of  a  smallpox  hospital. 

There  was  in  the  car  a  rather  startling  exhibit  for  those  who  are 
careless  in  the  disposal  of  garbage.  A  model  showed  a  cross  section 
of  a  house  and  a  near-by  garbage  barrel,  making  clear  the  actual  con- 
ditions within  the  walls  of  the  house  and  enabling  any  to  realize  that 
rats  may  be  enemies  to  health.  As  an  accompaniment  of  this  model 
others  were  shown  depicting  the  methods  of  construction  of  rat-proof 
houses  and  stables. 

In  the  center  of  the  exhibit  there  was  a  figure  of  a  dog,  properly 
muzzled,  in  order  to  bring  to  the  attention  of  the  public  not  only  the 
loss  of  life  from  a  preventable  disease,  rabies,  but  also  the  economic 
loss  through  this  infection. 

The  exhibit  of  this  bureau  was  prepared  under  the  direction  of 
Surg.  E.  A.  Sweet.  The  exhibit  on  the  train  was  in  charge  of 
Dr.  C.  E.  Banks,  senior  surgeon,  assisted  by  M.  L.  Cole  and  V.  E. 
Loving.  Dr.  Banks  and  his  assistants  were  relieved  when  the  train 
reached  Chicago,  111.,  and  Dr.  Listen  Paine,  assisted  by  T.  J.  Curtis 
and  T.  A.  Thornton,  took  their  places. 

COAST  GUARD. 
Ellsworth  P.  Bertholf,  Captain,  Commandant. 

The  Coast  Guard  was  represented  on  the  Safety  First  Train  by  a 
series  of  exhibits  which  aroused  great  interest,  especially  in  the 
interior  cities  of  the  country,  where  many  thousands  of  people  have 
naturally  not  had  the  opportunity  to  visit  the  seacoast  and  to  learn 
what  the  Coast  Guard  is  doing  in  behalf  of  humanity. 

The  Coast  Guard  as  it  exists  today  comprises  what  were  formerly 
the  Revenue-Cutter  Service  and  the  Life-Saving  Service,  which,  by 
act  of  Congress,  in  1915,  were  merged  into  the  new  organization  and 
given  the  status  of  a  part  of  the  military  forces  of  the  Government. 
The  Revenue-Cutter  Service  was  established  in  1790,  and  was  in- 
tended to  protect  the  customs  revenue  and  to  aid  in  the  national  de- 
fense. On  December  22,  1837,  it  was  charged  with  the  assistance  of 
vessels  in  distress,  and  thus  became  the  first  tangible  effort  of  the 
United  States  toward  "  safety  first "  for  its  people.  The  Life-Saving 
Service  was  authorized  June  20,  1874,  thus  forming  another  "  safety 
first "  organization  of  the  General  Government. 

The  Revenue-Cutter  Service  has  taken  part  in  every  war  on  the 
seas  in  which  this  country  has  been  engaged  since  the  foundation  of 
the  Government.    The  Coast  Guard  thus  occupies  the  peculiarly  ad- 


THE    SAFETY-FIEST    TRAIN. 


21 


vantageoiis  position  of  a  part  of  the  armed  forces  of  the  Government, 
which  devotes  its  eti'orts  in  times  of  peace  to  tlie  saving  of  life  and 
property  and  performs  many  otlier  useful  functions  in  the  interest  of 
"  saf  ety"^  first." 

The  activities  of  the  Coast  Guard  are  many  and  diverse,  including 
assistance  to  vessels  in  distress,  saving  life  and  property,  destroying 
or  removing  wrecks,  derelicts,  and  other  floating  dangers  to  naviga- 
tion, extending  medical  aid  to  United  States  vessels  engaged  in 
deep-sea   fishing,   enforcement   of   law   relating  to   quarantine   and 


EXHIBIT  OF  U.   S.   COAST  GUARD,  TREASURY   DEPARTMENT,  AND  AMERICAN 

RED  CROSS. 

neutrality,  enforcement  of  law  providing  for  safety  of  life  on 
navigable  waters  during  regattas  and  marine  parades,  protection  of 
game,  fur  seals,  and  fisheries  in  Alaska,  patrolling  ice  fields  of  the 
North  Atlantic  to  warn  vessels  of  the  danger  of  icebergs,  and  many 
other  duties. 

During  the  winter  season  and  especially  in  bad  weather  a  constant 
patrol  of  the  Atlantic  coast  from  Maine  to  Florida  is  maintained 
by  a  cordon  of  cutters  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  aid  to  vessels  in 
distress.     At  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night  beaches  between  life- 


22  THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TEAIN. 

saving  stations  are  patrolled  by  surfmen,  who  watch  for  vessels 
which  have  stranded  or  are  approaching  too  close  to  the  shore  or 
dangerous  shoals  or  reefs. 

The  work  performed  during  the  last  fiscal  year  by  the  Coast  Guard 
is  typical  of  what  it  is  accomplishing  every  year  in  the  interest  of 
humanity.  Some  of  the  duties  performed  were  the  saving  of  1,216 
persons  from  peril ;  rendering  assistance  to  15,742  persons  on  board 
vessels;  caring  for  443  persons  in  distress;  1,453  instances  of  lives 
saved  and  vessels  assisted;  2,021  instances  of  miscellaneous  assist- 
ance; and  29  derelicts  and  obstructions  to  navigation  removed  or 
destroyed.  The  value  of  vessels  assisted,  including  cargoes,  was 
$10,509,655,  and  the  value  of  derelicts  recovered  and  delivered  to 
owners,  $128,900. 

The  miscellaneous  duties  which  are  performed  and  which  it  is 
impossible  to  tabulate,  consist  of  such  services  as  warnings  to  vessels 
running  into  danger,  medical  and  surgical  aid  to  the  sick  and  injured, 
recovery  and  burial  of  bodies  cast  up  by  the  waves,  extinguishing  of 
fires  on  wharves,  vessels,  dwelling  and  business  structures,  fighting 
forest  fires,  cooperating  with  local  authorities  in  the  maintenance 
of  public  order,  apprehending  thieves  and  other  lawbreakers,  pre- 
venting suicides,  restoring  lost  children  to  their  parents,  recovering 
stolen  property  and  salving  miscellaneous  articles  from  danger  or 
destruction,  acting  as  pilots  in  case  of  emergency,  furnishing  food, 
water,  and  fuel  to  vessels  in  distress,  protecting  wrecked  property, 
and  furnishing  transportation  and  assistance  to  other  branches  of 
the  public  service.  The  number  of  instances  of  aid  furnished  during 
the  last  fiscal  year  (1916)  averaged  approximately  10  a  day,  while 
the  maximum  number  for  any  one  day  was  70,  In  fact  there  were 
but  three  days  in  the  entire  year  when  aid  of  some  kind  was  not 
rendered  to  the  public. 

An  important  feature  m  the  work  of  the  Coast  Guard  is  the 
resuscitation  of  persons  apparently  drowned.  When  a  person  is 
taken  from  the  water  by  members  of  the  Coast  Guard  they  are 
required  to  employ  artificial  respiration  for  one  to  four  hours,  or 
until  the  patient  breathes.  It  frequently  happens  that  the  person  is 
revived  after  long  persistent  effort.  Of  19  attempts  to  resuscitate 
persons  taken  from  the  water  in  the  last  fiscal  year,  12  were  success- 
ful ;  in  only  2  of  these  were  the  persons  restored  in  less  than  30 
minutes.  In  the  unsuccessful  attempts  5  of  the  victims  were  pro- 
nounced dead  by  physicians  who  were  present.  During  the  fiscal 
3^ear  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  under  authority  of  acts  of 
Congress,  awarded  medals  of  honor  to  58  persons  and  a  silver  bar  to 
another  person  for  distinguished  bravery  in  saving  or  endeavoring 
to  save  persons  from  drowning. 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST   TRAIN.  23 

Amono;  the  exhibits  of  the  Coast  (Juard  were  a  completely  equip])e(l 
beach  cart  and  apparatus  and  a  breeches  buoy,  rigged  to  show 
methods  of  rescuing  persons  from  stranded  vessels.  There  was  also 
a  self-bailing  power  lifeboat,  designed  to  carry  through  heavy  surf 
a  crew  of  7  and  20  passengers.  This  boat  automatically  frees  itself 
of  water  and  if  uninjured  will  carry  15  persons  and  clear  itself  of 
water  though  filled  level  to  the  gunwales.  Other  exhibits  were  a 
line-carrying  projectile,  a  rapid-fire  gun  for  use  on  cutters  in  firing 
lines  to  vessels  needing  assistance;  also  signal  liimps  for  flashing 
messages  by  the  dot-and-dash  code  used  by  stations  in  communicating 
with  vessels  passing  along  shore  or  with  wrecks.  Other  exhibits 
included  the  electric  torch  and  hand  signals  used  by  the  patrolman 
on  his  beat  for  communicating  with  other  patrolmen  and  with  vessels 
at  a  distance  of  several  miles. 

An  acetylene  beach  light,  for  lighting  the  beach  and  vicinity  of  a 
wreck  during  night  operations  of  station  crews,  w^as  exhibited ;  also 
an  acetylene  signal  lamp,  for  night  messages  from  Coast  Guard  sta- 
tions to  vessels  passing  along  the  coast.  This  lamp  is  designed  to 
use  the  iSIorse,  International,  or  other  telegraphic  codes  employing 
the  dot-and-dash  systems. 

The  Coast  Guard  exhibit  was  arranged  by  First  Lieut.  H.  H.  Wolf. 
The  exhibit  was  in  charge  of  Lieut.  W.  J.  "Wheeler,  assisted  by 
Quartermaster  J.  F.  JMcXulty.  On  July  8  Lieut.  Wheeler  was  re- 
lieved.   Gunner  Frederick  Block  thereafter  took  charge  of  the  exhibit. 

DEPARTMENT   OF   WAR. 
Newton  D.  Baker,  Secretary. 

"Safety  first"  as  interpreted  by  the  War  Department  related  pri- 
marily to  military  preparedness  for  national  defense.  The  exhibits, 
therefore,  of  this  department  graphically  presented  some  of  the 
means  for  protecting  the  United  States  against  a  foreign  foe  and 
included  numerous  models  of  big  guns  and  small  arms. 

Other  exhibits  showed  Army  methods  of  transportation,  the  build- 
ing of  military  bridges  and  roads,  and  how  the  Medical  Corps  applies 
''safety  first"  by  taking  diligent  care  of  the  soldiers'  health. 

Sterilizing  outfits  for  drinking  water,  the  first-aid  packet,  medical 
chests  and  their  contents,  devices  for  carrying  litters  on  railroad 
•trains,  a  fully  equipped  operating  room  of  a  field  hospital,  and  other 
measures  for  preventing  and  treating  disease  were  shown  with  a  view 
of  the  possible  application  of  such  "safety-first"  methods  in  civilian 
communities. 

Recruiting  posters  referred  to  the  Army  as  a  career.  Tn  addition 
to  its  strictly  military  training,  the  Army  affords  excellent  educa- 


24 


THE    SAFETY-FIEST    TEAIN. 


tional  facilities  to  the  enlisted  men  at  various  posts  and  A-ocational 
schools,  thus  enabling  the  men  to  increase  their  earning  capacity  and 
their  value  to  their  country  and  qualify  for  commands  as  officers. 
Many  become  expert  carpenters,  electricians,  mechanics,  blacksmiths, 
typists,  draftsmen,  musicians,  telegraph  and  wireless  operators,  avi- 
ators, bakers,  cooks,  and  saddlers. 

The  War  Dej^artment  exhibit  demonstrated  that  the  Army  of  the 
United  States  is  under  scientific  management ;  that  the  enlisted  man 
is  self-respecting  and  intelligent,  and  worthy  of  the  esteem  of  all 
law-abiding  citizens,  and  that  his  opportunities  for  self-betterment 
are  of  the  best.     The  United  States  Army  is  the  best  fed,  the  best 


EXHIBIT  OF  CORPS  OF  ENGINEERS,  UNITED  STATES  ARMY. 

paid,  and  the  best  e(j[uipped  Army  in  the  world,  and  that,  supple- 
menting the  Organized  Militia  and  other  military  bodies  of  the 
States  and  Territories,  more  than  35,000  students  are  under  military 
instructions  in  the  universities,  colleges,  and  other  institutions  of 
learning  in  the  T"'nited  States. 

In  addition  to  making  preparation  for  national  defense  in  time  of 
war,  the  Army  achieves  much  along  strictly  civil  lines,  and  this  fact 
was  impressed  upon  the  visitors  by  photographs  illustrating  dif- 
ferent phases  of  the  work  of  the  Engineer  Corps.  This  corps  is  in- 
terested in  promoting  commerce  by  maintaining  the  navigability  of 
all  Federal  Avaterways  and  improving  rivers  and  harbors  and  pre- 


THE   SAFETY-FIEST   TRAIN. 


25 


venting  encroachments  thereon.  Not  the  least  interesting  of  the  ex- 
hibits Avere  those  of  the  Army  Medical  and  IIosi)ital  Department. 
Photographs  showed  the  Avork  to  eradicate  hookworm  in  Porto  Rico 
and  the  method  of  inoculation  against  typhoid  fever. 

The  War  Department  is  also  frequently  before  the  public  eye  when 
it  is  privileged  to  render  services  of  incalculable  value  in  i)laces 
where  calamitous  floods,  tornadoes,  or  forest  fires  overwhelm  all  local 
facilities  for  relief  and  make  Government  aid  imperative. 

"  Safety  first "  with  the  War  Department  also  refers  to  the  pro- 
tection of  the  individual  and  the  conservation  of  property  through 
the  elimination  of  avoidable  risks.  In  connection  with  its  military 
duties,  the  War  Department  carries  on  half  a  dozen  extensive  manu- 


EXHIEIT  OF   MEDICAL   DEPARTMENT,   UNITED   STATES   ARMY. 

facturing  plants  for  the  production  of  clothing,  cannon,  small  arms, 
ammunition  and  powder,  saddles,  harness,  and  various  articles  of 
camp  and  garrison  equipage.  In  the  administration  of  these  estab- 
lishments, the  department  takes  every  precaution  to  insure  the  safet}^ 
of  employees  by  the  installation  of  many  protective  appliances. 

The  exhibit  of  the  War  Department  was  prepared  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  John  C.  Scofield,  assistant  and  chief  clerk.  War  Depart- 
ment, and  installed  by  Mr.  J.  J.  Hittinger.  special  agent  of  the  de- 
partment, who  was  also  in  charge  of  the  exhibit  on  tlie  train,  assisted 
by  Sergts.  A.  F.  Springer,  F.  C.  Phinney,.E.  C.  Whallon,  and  S.  M. 
Yarbrough,  United  States  Army. 


26 


THE   SAFETY-FIEST    TEAIK. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  NAVY. 


Josephus  Daniels,  Secretary. 


The  Navy  of  the  United  States  regards  itself  as  one  of  the  chief 
safeguards  of  the  country,  as  its  purpose  is  to  prevent  damage  by  an 
enemy  who  may  strike  from  the  sea.  It  is  organized,  conducted,  and 
trained  to  insure  the  country  against  incalculable  loss.  Its  object 
and  hope  are  to  be  so  strong,  effective,  and  efficient  that  it  will  pre- 
serve peace  and  prevent  war. 

At  the  time  the  Safety-First  Train  was  on  its  travels  the  total 
strength  of  the  United  States  Navy  was  3,972  officers  and  51,955  en- 
listed men.    This  latter  figure  did  not  include  men  detailed  for  naval 


EXHIBIT    OF    MARINE    CORP^^,    T'XITED    STATES    NAVY. 

militia  and  other  duty,  but  did  include  2,731  apprentice  seamen  at 
the  various  naval  training  stations.  The  total  strength  of  the  United 
States  Marine  Corps  was  312  officers  and  9,8G7  enlisted  men.  There 
were  at  that  time  319  vessels  in  the  Navy.  This  number  included 
9  battleships  of  the  first  line,  25  battleships  of  the  second  line,  10 
armored  cruisers,  5  cruisers  of  the  first  class,  4  cruisers  of  the  second 
class,  16  cruisers  of  the  third  class,  59  destroyers,  39  submarines,  and 
28  gunboats.  The  other  various  types  of  vessels  included  monitors, 
transports,  supply  ships,  hospital  ships,  tugs,  fuel  ships,  torpedo 
boats,  tenders  to  torpedo  vessels,  and  converted  yachts  for  use  of  the 
Naval  Militia. 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST   TRAIN.  27 

Vessels  of  various  types  aiilhoiiztHl  and  under  construction  num- 
bered G9. 

The  Navy  exhibit  occupied  an  entire  car.  One  of  the  interesting 
exhibits  was  a  submarine  radio  set  for  sending  and  receiving  wireless 
messages.  There  were  also  a  naval  aeroplane  motor,  field  equipment 
for  bluejackets,  a  Franklin  life  buoy,  a  6-pounder  gun,  a  Whitehead 
torpedo,  ship's  side  lights,  a  portable  searchlight,  ship's  telephones, 
model  of  5-inch  gun,  model  of  8-inch  gun,  a  Colt  automatic  machine 
gun,  a  dummy  aeroplane  Avith  gyroscope  stabilizer,  a  medical  ex- 
peditionary case,  first-aid  field  pouch,  model  of  the  cruiser  Columbia,, 
an  automatic  machine  rifle,  and  many  other  devices. 

The  Navy  was  represented  by  the  Bureaus  of  Navigation,  Yards 
and  Docks,  Ordnance,  Construction  and  Repair,  Steam  Engineering, 
Supplies  and  Accounts,  and  Medicine  and  Surgery. 

The  Navy  Department  exhibit  was  installed  under  the  direction 
of  Commander  Robert  W.  McNeely.  The  exhibit  was  in  charge  of 
Chief  IMaster  at  Arms  Charles  Mitchell,  assisted  by  Sergt.  J.  Lein- 
hart,  Chief  Electricians  J.  J.  Brierly,  G.  T.  Tansey,  and  Thomas  L. 
Murphy,  and  C.  T.  Chandler,  hospital  apprentice  first  class. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR. 
Franklin  K.  Lane,  Secretary. 

OFFICE   OF  INDIAN  AFFAIRS. 

Cato  Sells,  Commissioner. 

The  Office  of  Indian  Affairs  is  the  official  guardian  of  more  than 
300,000  Indians,  and  is  charged  with  looking  after  the  health,  pros- 
perity, and  general  welfare  of  these  wards  of  the  Nation. 

One  of  the  principal  features  of  the  work  of  this  office  is  "  safety 
first "  in  behalf  of  the  Indian.  He  is  taught  that  the  maintenance 
of  good  health  is  the  prime  requisite  for  placing  him  upon  a  self- 
supporting  basis.  Tuberculosis  is  more  prevalent  among  the  Indians 
than  among  the  white  race,  and  its  prevention  is  a  most  important 
problem  of  this  office.  Trachoma,  an  eye  disease  that  may  cause 
blindness,  also  prevails  among  the  Indians,  and  is  necessarily  a  seri- 
ous drawback  to  their  progress  toward  civilization.  Supervisors  are 
required  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  rapidly  increasing  knowledge  of 
prophylactic  measures  for  checking  the  spread  of  disease  among  the 
Indians,  and  after  studying  the  local  conditions  at  each  school  and' 
on  each  reservation  are  expected  to  suggest  ways  and  means  for  im- 
proving the  health  and  sanitary  conditions  there. 

The  vital  truths  of  right  living,  preservation  of  health,  and  pre- 
vention of  disease  are  being  taught  in  the  schools.  Resident  phy- 
sicians at  the  agencies  give  talks  to  the  pupils  and  the  reservation 
Indians  on  subjects  connected  with  sanitation,  care  of  the  sick,  pre- 


28  THE   SAFETY-FIEST    TKAIN. 

vention  of  infant  mortality,  and  first  aid  to  the  injured.  Clean-up 
days  haA'e  been  instituted  and  are  found  of  inestimable  value  in 
arousing  enthusiasm. 

The  problems  to  be  solved  in  connection  with  tuberculosis  are 
similar  to  those  among  the  poorer  classes  of  whites.  A  campaign  of 
education  is  being  conducted  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  disease. 

The  Indian  is  being  taught  the  destructive  effects  of  intoxicants  to 
his  mental,  moral,  and  physical  fiber,  the  use  of  liquor  having  been 
for  many  years  the  greatest  obstacle  to  his  advancement.  The  office 
reports  an  awakening  sense  of  moral  responsibility  among  the  In- 
dians and  a  general  improvement  through  enforcement  of  the  law 
and  the  influence  of  the  better  elements  of  the  tribes. 

The  Indian  Bureau  is  looking  after  the  safety  of  the  Indian  in  its 
mills,  shops,  and  laundries. 

The  contribution  of  the  Indian  Office  to  the  Safety-First  Train 
Exhibit  was  a  small  collection  of  articles  intended  to  suggest  con- 
cretely some  of  the  directions  in  which  the  Indian  is  making  prog- 
ress. Agriculture  was  represented  by  specimens  of  grains,  corn, 
and  cotton  raised  on  Indian  farms;  trades  by  bridle,  shoes,  a  uni- 
form suit  and  children  garments,  specimens  of  woodwork,  tools  for 
blacksmith  and  machinist,  and  a  wrought-iron  fender  with  shovel 
and  tongs,  all  the  work  of  pupils  in  (jovernment  Indian  schools. 
With  these  w^ere  some  pieces  of  native  handiwork  in  basketry,  silver- 
ware, and  leather,  and  a  bit  of  modern  art  in  wood  carving  by  a 
talented  Indian  deaf  mute. 

RECLAMATION  SERVICE. 
Arthur  P.  Davis,  Director  and  Chief  Engineer. 

The  Reclamation  Service  is  known  as  the  home-making  bureau  of 
the  Department  of  the  Interior,  and  was  organized  under  the  pro- 
visions of  the  National  reclamation  law  of  June  17,  1902,  which  pro- 
vided briefly  that  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  public  lands  in  the 
16  arid  and  semiarid  States  should  go  into  a  fund  known  as  the 
reclamation  fund,  to  be  expended  under  the  direction  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior,  in  the  construction  of  irrigation  works  by  which 
the  arid  lands  would  be  converted  into  cultivated  fields. 

In  the  Western  States  there  are  approximately  450,000,000  acres  of 
land  belonging  to  the  Government,  and  it  is  estimated  that  40,000,000 
acres  are  capable  of  being  transformed  into  land  on  which  people 
may  live  in  comfort. 

Remarkable  progress  in  this  work  has  been  made  by  the  Reclama- 
tion Service,  and  at  present  1,500,000  acres  have  been  reclaimed, 
crops  are  being  produced  on  more  than  1,000,000  acres,  and  more 
than  30,000  families  have  been  established  in  homes.    Thriving  cities. 


THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN".  29 

towns,  and  villajjes  have  sprung  up.  Railroads  have  extended  their 
branches  and  a.  vast  region  Avhich  a  few  years  ago  was  an  unin- 
habited desert  has  been  transformed  into  prosperous  farms.  Projects 
now  under  way  or  completed  embrace  approximately  3,000,000  acres 
of  irrigable  land,  divided  into  about  60,000  farms  of  10  to  160 
acres.  The  net  investment  of  the  service  to  date  is  approximately 
$100,000,000. 

In  turning  these  waste  places  into  fertile  fields  the  Reclamation 
Service  had  to  build  a  number  of  great  dams  by  which  the  water 
might  be  impounded  for  reclaiming  the  desert.  These  structures 
include : 

The  highest  dam  in  the  world,  the  Arrowrock  Dam,  349  feet  high, 
on  the  Boise  River  in  Idaho. 

The  longest  roller  crest  dam  in  the  world,  the  Grand  River  diver- 
sion dam,  length  546  feet,  on  the  Grand  River,  near  Grand  Junction, 
Colo. 

The  largest  irrigation  reservoir  in  the  United  States,  the  Elephant 
Butte  Reservoir  on  the  Rio  Grande,  about  100  miles  north  of  El 
Paso,  having  a  capacity  of  2,600,000  acre-feet  (enough  water  to  cover 
an  area  the  size  of  Delaware  to  a  depth  of  2  feet).  The  dam  was 
dedicated  on  October  14,  1916. 

In  such  construction  work  the  service  at  times  employed  as  many 
as  16,000  men.  The  service,  by  its  care  of  its  employees,  has  reduced 
the  loss  of  life  among  them  to  the  minimum.  At  Williston,  N.  Dak., 
the  service  maintains  a  coal  mine  for  supplying  fuel  for  the  service 
pumping  station  there,  and  during  the  five  years  the  mine  has  been 
in  operation  there  has  not  been  a  loss  of  a  single  life. 

Thousands  of  families,  many  of  whom  have  been  taken  from  con- 
gested centers  of  population,  are  now  living  on  what  was  worthless 
desert.  In  the  open-air  life  of  the  country  the  children  of  these 
families  are  growing  vigorous  and  strong,  and  there  is  being  devel- 
oped in  these  new  areas  a  virile  and  sturdy  citizenship. 

The  service  has  cooperated  with  the  people  on  its  projects  in 
providing  pure  water  supplies  for  towns,  and  it  is  furnishing  valu- 
able information  and  advice  on  all  questions  relating  to  the  physical 
well-being  of  the  rural  and  urban  population.  Altogether  the  Recla- 
mation Service  is  a  strong  factor  for  health,  efficiency,  and  safety 
first. 

In  work  connected  with  the  construction  and  operation  of  these 
irrigation  projects  the  service  has  excavated  about  150,000,000  cubic 
yards  of  material  and  has  built  numerous  power  plants,  telephone, 
and  power  transmission  lines  and  railroads  and  is  operating  a  few 
coal  mines.  On  several  of  the  projects  the  settlers  are  furnished 
electric  light,  heat,  and  power  from  these  Government  power  plants, 
and  in  this  respect  they  enjoy  all  of  the  advantages  of  city  life, 


30  THE    SAFETY-FIKST    TKAIN. 

The  exhibit  of  the  Rechimation  Service  on  the  Safety-First  Train 
occupied  part  of  one  of  the  cars.  In  the  center  of  the  space  there 
was  a  model  of  a  typical  irrigation  farm.  This  model  showed  the 
main  canal,  the  lateral  canals,  farmhouse,  barn,  corral,  poultry 
houses,  silo,  stacks  of  alfalfa,  crops,  etc.,  and  aroused  a  great  deal 
of  interest.  Other  exhibits  consisted  of  photographs  and  trans- 
parencies showing  the  agricultural  deA^elopment,  the  methods  of 
irrigation,  and  the  immense  dams  and  other  engineering  structures 
built  by  the  service. 

The  exhibit  of  the  Reclamation  Service  was  in  charge  of  W.  I. 
Swanton  and  E.  J.  Mcintosh. 

BUREAU  OF  MINES, 
Van  H.  Manning,  Director. 

The  Bureau  of  Mines  is  interested,  among  other  things,  in  the 
safety  of  more  than  1,000,000  miners.  The  bureau  has  in  addition 
to  its  central  office  in  Washington,  D.  C,  a  principal  experimental 
station  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  seven  mine-rescue  stations,  eight  mine- 
rescue  cars,  and  two  automobile  rescue  trucks.  Each  station,  car  and 
truck  has  a  crew  of  life  savers  and  first-aid  men,  who  respond  to 
calls  for  aid  at  mine  disasters.  Under  a  newly  passed  act  of  Congress 
seven  additional  cars  are  to  be  established  at  the  rate  of  three  each 
year. 

Mines  of  all  kinds  in  the  United  States  have  been  taking  a  yearly 
toll  of  about  3,500  men  with  a  death  rate  of  about  3^  men  in  every 
1,000  employed.  The  total  number  of  men  killed  in  all  of  the  coal 
and  metal  mines  and  quarries  in  1914,  the  last  year  for  which  com- 
plete statistics  were  available  when  this  was  written,  was  3,193.  In 
the  year  1913  the  number  was  3,651.  There  were  more  than  1,000,000 
men  emplo^yed  in  these  mines  and  quarries  and  the  death  rate  for 
the  year  1914  was  3.16  for  each  1,000  employed,  as  compared  with 
3.49  for  the  previous  year.  These  figures  mean  that  in  every  3,000 
men  engaged  in  mining,  one  more  man  was  saved  in  1914  than  in 
1913.  In  other  words,  in  nearly  every  mining  camp  of  any  size  in 
this  country  there  was  one  miner  spared  to  his  family  who  would 
have  been  killed  had  the  fatality  rate  in  1914  been  the  same  as  in 
the  previous  year. 

That  "  Safety  First "  is  beginning  to  show  substantial  results  in 
lives  saved  in  coal  mining  is  evident  from  the  report  of  casualties  in 
these  mines  for  the  year  1915. 

The  figures  showed  that  the  actual  number  of  men  killed  was  the 
lowest  in  the  last  eight  years,  that  the  death  rate  for  each  1,000  men 
employed  was  the  lowest  in  the  last  16  years,  and  that  the  number  of 
tons  of  coal  produced  for  each  miner  killed  was  the  largest  in  the 
entire  history  of  coal  mining  in  the  United  States. 


THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN. 


31 


Since  the  bureau  was  created  more  than  10,000  minei's  have  been 
trained  in  mine-rescue  and  first-aid  methods,  and  are  perhaps  as  well 
fitted  to  render  first  aid  as  the  members  of  regular  hospital  corps.  In 
case  of  war,  these  men  would  be  available  for  hospital  service. 

With  few  exceptions  all  of  the  material  exhibited  by  the  Bureau 
of  Mines  on  the  Safety-First  Train  had  seen  actual  service.  In  the 
car  devoted  to  the  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Mines  the  exhibit  which 
attracted  the  most  attention  represented  five  men  equipped  with 
different  types  of  oxygon-breathing  rescue  apparatus  used  by  the 
bureau's  rescue  crews  at  disasters  following  explosions.     Apparatus 


EXHIBIT   OF   BUREAU   OF  MINES,   DEPARTMENT   OF   THE   INTERIOR. 

of  this  general  character  is  recommended  by  the  Bureau  of  ]\Iines 
for  use  by  mining  companies  in  emergencies  and  has  been  responsible 
for  the  saving  of  a  number  of  lives.  It  permits  a  rescuer  to  enter 
a  mine  immediately  following  an  explosion  and  to  remain  in  a  poison- 
ous atmosphere  of  deadly  gas  for  a  period  of  two  hours'  time.  The 
rescue  cars  of  the  bureau  are  continually  visiting  the  mines  of  the 
country  where  the  miners  are  instructed  by  the  bureau's  experts  in 
the  use  of  this  apparatus.  One  of  the  types  of  apparatus  exhibited  is 
known  as  the  Gibbs  oxygen-breathing  apparatus,  which  was  de- 
veloped by  Mr.  William  E.  Gibbs,  engineer  of  mine-safety  investiga- 


32  THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN. 

tions.  and  engineers  and  physicists  of  the  bureau.  This  apparatus  is 
much  lighter  than  the  other  types  in  use,  and  its  parts  are  Avell  pro- 
tected against  injury.  Its  special  feature  is  that  the  oxygen  is  fed 
at  the  rate  it  is  used,  so  that  plenty  is  available  for  the  wearer  when 
he  is  working  hard  but  none  is  wasted  when  he  is  resting. 

A  great  amount  of  interest  was  manifested  in  the  cage  of  life- 
saving  canary  birds.  The  canary  is  very  sensitive  to  a  deadly  gas 
(carbon  monoxide)  found  in  mines  after  fires  and  explosions,  and  for 
this  reason  is  used  by  rescue  crews  and  miners  in  testing  mine  air. 
When  the  bird  shows  signs  of  distress  the  men  know  that  it  is  time 
to  put  on  their  rescue  apparatus.  The  rescuers  carry  with  them  an 
inclosed  cage  and  a  supply  of  oxygen.  The  asphyxiated  bird  is 
placed  in  this  cage  and  the  oxj^gen  turned  on,  with  the  result  that 
the  bird  usually  recovers. 

Another  feature  was  a  portable  mine-rescue  telephone  for  men 
wearing  oxygen-breathing  rescue  apparatus  and  consequently  unable 
to  talk  distinctly.  This  telephone  has  a  transmitter  that  is  strapped 
over  the  vocal  cords  and  enables  a  rescuer  wearing  breathing  appa- 
ratus to  maintain  communication  with  the  fresh-air  base  for  a  dis- 
tance of  about  one-quarter  of  a  mile. 

In  reviving  a  person  overcome  by  mine  gases  it  is  sometimes 
advantageous  to  administer  pure  oxj^gen.  The  device  used  by  the 
bureau  for  this  purpose,  consisting  of  an  oxygen  tank,  a  reducing 
valve  for  regulating  the  flow  of  oxygen,  tubes,  and  a  face  mask  with 
an  outlet  valve  for  the  breath,  was  shown. 

An  important  part  of  the  bureau's  work  is  investigating  the  causes 
and  methods  of  prcA'ention  of  explosions  in  coal  mines.  Photogi'aphs 
of  the  rock-dust  barriers  devised  by  bureau  engineers  for  checking 
explosions  in  coal  mines  were  displayed,  and  a  working  model  of 
the  trough  rock-dust  barrier  was  shown.  The  force  of  an  explosion 
causes  the  barrier  to  dump  its  load  of  rock  dust  into  the  mine  air, 
cooling  and  quenching  the  flames. 

A  device  for  sampling  mine  air  for  rock  dust,  used  by  bureau 
engineers  in  investigating  the  effects  of  siliceous  dust  in  causing  pul- 
monary disease  among  miners,  was  shown.  With  this  device  the 
amount  of  dust  breathed  in  a  given  time  by  a  miner  working  at  the 
place  where  the  sample  is  taken  can  be  determined.  As  a  result  of 
recommendations  by  the  bureau  based  on  the  investigations  referred 
to,  health  conditions  in  these  mines  have  been  greatly  improved. 

The  Bureau  of  Mines,  by  testing  electrical  mining  equipment  sub- 
mitted to  it  by  manufacturers  and  pointing  out  the  dangers  from 
such  equipment,  has  led  manufacturers  to  devise  safer  types  of  elec- 
trical apparatus  that  can  be  used  in  gaseous  coal  mines  without 
danger  of  causing  explosions  from  flashes  or  sparks.     A  photograph 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN.  33 

of  an  explosion-proof  motor  approved  by  the  bureau  as  permissible 
for  use  in  gaseous  mines  was  shown. 

Through  extensive  tests  by  the  bureau  in  cooperation  with  lamp 
manufacturers,  improved  types  of  miners'  safety  lamps  have  been 
developed.  Lamps  that  have  passed  certain  tests  are  designated  by 
the  bureau  as  permissible  for  use  in  gaseous  coal  mines.  Permissible 
electric  safety  lamps  and  permissible  flame  safety  lamps  were  shown. 
One  exhibit  was  a  box  for  testing  safety  lamps  before  taking  them 
into  a  mine,  the  lamp  being  tested  by  filling  the  box  with  an  explosive 
gas  and  then  thrusting  the  lighted  lamp  into  it. 

Devices  to  insure  the  safety  of  miners  in  handling  explosives  con- 
sisted of  a  5-pound  powder  jack  or  metal  waterproof  box  for  carrying 
powder  into  a  mine  and  a  safety  box  for  carrying  the  detonators  used 
in  blasting.  In  this  box  each  detonator  is  held  separately,  and  only 
one  can  be  removed  conveniently  at  a  time.  The  detonators  can  not 
fall  out  if  the  box  should  be  overturned. 

There  was  also  exhibited  an  apparatus  to  insure  safety  in  firing 
shots  by  electricity  in  mines. 

The  Bureau  of  Mines  car  was  in  charge  of  George  Riggs,  first-aid 
miner,  assisted  by  J.  D.  Morey.  Messrs.  Riggs  and  jVIorey  ^^ere 
later  relieved,  and  Henry  Nichols,  jr.,  and  T.  L.  Rachels  took  their 
places. 

NATIONAL  PARK  SERVICE. 
R.  B.  Marshall,  Superintendent. 

The  National  Park  Service  has  under  its  jurisdiction  16  national 
parks  and  21  national  monuments.  These  areas  of  extraordinary 
scenic  beauty  and  remarkable  phenomena  included  in  the  national 
parks  have  been  set  apart  by  Congress  as  natural  playgrounds  for  the 
use  and  enjoyment  of  the  people  for  all  time.  The  national  parks 
have  an  area  of  7,534  square  miles. 

In  its  national  parks  the  United  States  possesses  the  supreme 
scenery  of  the  accessible  w^orld  both  in  area  and  diversity.  Each  of 
the  principal  parks  presents  characteristic  scenery.  The  Yellowstone 
is  distinguished  for  its  colorful  canyon,  its  geysers,  boiling  springs, 
and  formations ;  Yosemite  for  its  world-famous,  incomparable  valley 
and  celebrated  falls;  Mount  Rainier  for  its  glacier  system,  which  em- 
braces 28  rivers  of  ice;  Sequoi  for  its  aged  and  giant  sequoias;  Crater 
Lake  for  its  well  of  midnight  blue,  which  occupies  the  crater  of  an 
extinct  volcano ;  Glacier  for  its  scenic  combination  of  60  glaciers,  250 
lakes,  sensational  peaks,  and  broad  valleys;  Mount  Lassen  for  its 
active  volcano,  one  of  the  noble  Cascade  Range;  Rocky  Mountain 
National  Park  for  its  grandeur ;  Mesa  Verde  for  its  jirehistoric  ruins, 
the  most  elaborate  and  best  preserved  in  America,  if  not  in  the  world ; 


34 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN. 


and  the  Hawaiia  National  Park  for  its  spectacular  volcanoes  and 
scenic  charm.  The  21  national  monuments  also  vary  greatly  in  re- 
gard to  individualit3\ 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  National  Park  Service  to  make  these  parks 
available  and  comfortable  for  the  people.  Each  park  is  in  charge  of 
a  resident  supervisor,  who  has  under  his  charge  enough  park  rangers 
to  protect  the  forests  from  fire,  the  wild  animals  from  hunters,  and 
the  visitors  from  harm.  There  are  good  roads  in  all  of  the  parks,  and 
both  hotels  and  public  camps  where  visitors  may  stay  as  long  as  they 
like  to  enjoy  the  scenery  and  study  nature  in  a  school  that  can  not  be 
rivaled  throughout  the  civilized  world.  Trails  are  built  to  the  water- 
falls, the  topmost  peaks,  the  volcanoes,  and  to  points  of  unusual  in- 


NATIONAL   PARK   EXHIBIT,   DEPARTMENT    OF   THE    INTERIOR. 

terest.  Over  these  trails  visitors  may  walk  or  ride  horseback  as  they 
prefer.  One  may  visit  a  national  park  each  year  for  more  than  a 
decade  and  see  something  quite  new  and  remarkable  at  each  visit. 
The  visitors  to  the  parks  in  1916  numbered  351,086 — an  astonishing 
increase  over  previous  years. 

A  half  car  of  the  "safety-first  train"  was  effectively  turned  into 
a  beautiful  picture  gallery  by  the  National  Park  Service.  Ex- 
quisitely colored  transparencies  picturing  the  most  striking  scenes 
of  the  various  parks  filled  the  windows.  Above  them  hung  large 
framed  photographs.  The  pictures  showed  something  of  the  range 
and  grandeur  of  the  incomparable  scenery  of  our  national  parks. 
This  gallery  was  made  an  appropriate  setting  for  the  pictures  of  these 


THE    SAJFiETY-FIRST    TRAIN. 


35 


scenic  wonders  by  a   -wainscoting  built   of  logs,  Avliirh  suggested  a 
room  in  a  log  cabin. 

In  one  corner  ri  camp  fire,  made  with  the  aid  of  electric  lights,  was 
cheerily  burning.  Camping,  riding,  and  fishing  equipment  suggested 
life  in  the  out  of  doors.  The  odor  of  fragrant  pine  boughs  filled 
one  with  the  desire  to  visit  the  national  parks  and  camp  in  the  open 
amid  the  superb  spectacles.  Descriptive  motion  pictures,  exhibited 
by  Don  E.  Clarke,  in  charge  of  the  exhibit,  afforded  the  visitor  a 
flying  trip  to  the  national  parks — our  scenic  wonderlands. 


DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 
David  Franklin  Houston,  Secretary. 

WEATHER  BUREAU, 
Charles  F.  Marvin,  Chief. 

The  United  States  Weather  Bureau,  which  was  represented  on  the 
Safety-First  Train  by  an  interesting  exhibit  consisting  of  instru- 
ments and  charts  and  a  large  glass  weather  map  on  which  was  shown 
the  daily  weather  conditions  throughout  the  country,  has  been  in 


EXHIBIT   OF   WEATHER    BUREAU,   DEPARTMENT    OF    ACRICULTURE. 

existence  since  1870.  It  was  first  established  as  the  meteorological 
branch  of  the  Signal  Corps  of  the  Army  and  remained  with  that 
organization  until  1891,  when  it  was  made  a  bureau  and  transferred 
to  the  Department  of  Agriculture.    It  maintains  in  the  United  States 


36  THE   SAFETY-FIRST   TRAIN. 

about  200  full  meteorological  stations;  1^00  substations,  such  a^ 
storm-warning  display,  river  and  rainfall,  cotton,  corn  and  wheat, 
and  fruit-region  stations ;  and  4,800  cooperative  observation  stations ; 
and  disburses  annually  for  the  conduct  of  its  work  about  $1,600,000. 

As  an  institution  the  Weather  Bureau  represents  the  present  de- 
velopment of  meteorology  and  the  practical  application  of  that 
science  to  the  daily  affairs  of  life,  mainly  through  the  medium  of 
the  electric  telegraph  in  rendering  its  systematic  and  continuous 
service  to  the  public,  in  the  interest  of  agriculture,  commerce,  and 
navigation.  The  Weather  Bureau  distributes  daily  weather  fore- 
casts, warnings  of  frosts,  cold  waves,  storms  and  floods,  and  informa- 
tion concerning  various  atmospheric  conditions. 

The  propriety  of  its  being  represented  in  the  Safety-First  Exhibit 
is  evident  from  the  fact  that  its  entire  work  is  largely,  and  indeed 
mainlv,  in  the  interest  of  the  conservation  and  the  protection  from 
injury  or  destruction  of  the  life  and  property  of  the  people. 

The  extent  to  which  this  work  of  collecting  and  publishing  weather 
data  and  distributing  daily  fore^^asis  and  warnings  has  become  a 
factor  in  the  various  vocations  and  business  enterprises  of  the  people 
is  already  very  gi-eat.  Its  importance  is  increasing  yearly,  A  great 
number  of  instances  could  be  cited  to  show  how  this  information 
is  applied  to  individual  pursuits  and  industries  and  how  large  are 
the  benefits  derived  therefrom. 

It  is  impossible,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  to  estimate  even 
approximately  the  total  money  value  of  these  forecasts  and  warnings, 
but  some  idea  of  their  value  may  perhaps  be  obtained  from  consid- 
ering the  extent  of  their  distribution  and  some  of  the  more  notable 
instances  in  which  the  amount  of  the  savings  effected  has  been  ascer- 
tained. 

Within  two  hours  after  the  morning  observations  have  been  made 
at  the  different  stations  the  weather  forecasts  are  telegraphed  from 
the  forecast  centers  to  about  1,600  principal  distributing  points,  whence 
they  are  further  disseminated  by  telegraph,  telephone,  wireless  teleg- 
raphy, and  mail.  The  forecasts  reach  nearly  90,000  addresses  daily  by 
mail,  the  greater  part  being  delivered  early  in  the  day,  and  none  later, 
as  a  rule,  than  6  p.  m.  of  the  day  of  issue,  and  are  available  to  more 
than  5,500,000  telephone  subscribers  within  an  hour  of  the  time  of 
issue.  This  system  of  forecast  distribution  is  wholly  under  the  super- 
vision and  mainly  at  the  expense  of  the  Government,  and  is  in  addi- 
tion to  and  distinct  from  the  distribution  effected  through  the  press 
associations  and  the  daily  newspapers.  The  rural  free  mail  delivery 
system  and  rural  telephone  lines  are  also  being  utilized  to  bring  the 
benefits  of  the  forecasts  to  a  large  number  of  farming  communities. 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN.  37 

The  sailing  of  the  immense  nnmber  of  vessels  engaged  in  our 
ocean  and  lake  trallic  is  largely  determined  by  the  storm  Avarnings, 
and  those  displaj^ed  for  a  single  hurricane  are  known  to  have  de- 
tained in  port  on  our  Atlantic  coast  a  fleet  of  vessels  valued  with 
their  cargoes  at  over  $30,000,000. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  hurricane  that,  passing  across  the  Caribbean 
Sea  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico^  caused  such  great  destruction  in  Gal- 
veston in  August  of  1915,  the  lives  of  hundreds  of  residents  of 
Galveston  and  the  coasts  and  islands  adjoining  were  saved  through 
the  advance  warnings;  and  it  was  reported  that  from  August  12  to 
16,  inclusive,  30  vessels,  valued,  with  their  cargoes,  at  $15,000,000, 
were  held  at  the  port  of  New  Orleans  or  below  until  notified  by  the 
Weather  Bureau  that  they  could  safely  depart.  The  warnings  issued 
for  the  hurricane  that  passed  over  New  Orleans  on  September  29, 
1915,  are  also  known  to  have  result  J  in  great  saving  of  life  and 
property. 

The  warnings  issued  for  a  single  cold  wave  of  exceptional  severity 
and  extent  were  found  to  have  resulted  in  saving  over  $3,500,000 
through  the  protection  of  property  from  injury  or  destruction. 

The  value  of  the  orange  bloom,  vegetables,  and  strawberries  pro- 
tected and  saved  on  a  single  night  in  a  small  district  in  Florida 
through  the  instrumentality  of  frost  warnings  sent  out  by  the  bureau 
was  reported  as  over  $100,000. 

On  one  occasion  live  stock  and  other  movable  property  to  the  es- 
timated value  of  about  $15,000,000  were,  as  a  result  of  warnings  is- 
sued by  the  bureau  a  week  in  advance  of  the  flood,  removed  from 
regions  in  the  lower  Mississippi  Valley  that  were  aftei^wards  in- 
undated. 

The  growing  of  early  truck,  an  extensive  industry  in  Florida  and 
other  States  along  the  Gulf  or  our  South  Atlantic  coasts,  has  in- 
creased enormously  in  recent  years.  This  industry  is  largely  de- 
pendent for  its  success  on  service  rendered  by  the  Weather  Bureau 
in  giving  warnings  of  frosts  and  freezing  weather.  Growers  of 
citrus  fruits  in  Florida  and  California,  and  deciduous  fruits  in  Wash- 
ington, Oregon,  Idaho,  Utah,  Colorado,  and  throughout  the  East, 
rely  on  these  warnings  to  guide  them  in  smudging  and  heating  their 
orchards  in  time  of  danger  from  frost. 

Within  the  past  few  years  the  bureau  has  been  of  material  assist- 
ance in  the  conservation  of  the  forests  in  the  Northwest  by  the  issue 
of  warnings  of  weather  conditions  favorable  to  the  inception  and 
spread  of  forest  fires. 

The  exhibit  of  the  Weather  Bureau  was  in  charge  of  Mr.  R.  H. 
Finch. 


38  THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN". 

BUREAU  OF  ANIMAL  INDUSTRY, 
A.  D.  Melvin,  Chief. 

The  exhibit  of  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  occupied  a  portion 
of  one  of  the  cars,  and  comprised  a  collection  of  pathological  speci- 
mens showing  diseases  found  in  meat  inspection,  including  tuber- 
culosis, hog  cholera,  lumpy  jaw,  sarcoma,  etc.  A  collection  of  large 
photographs  showed  how  meat  inspection  is  carried  on  in  the  large 
establishments  under  Federal  inspection.  A  set  of  pictures  illus- 
trated the  "  story  of  clean  milk  "  from  the  farm  to  the  consumer. 

The  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry  closely  concerns  all 
the  people  of  the  United  States.  Most  people  eat  meat,  and  when 
they  obtain  it  from  establishments  under  inspection  they  are  assured 
that  it  is  clean  and  wholesome  meat  and  is  from  animals  found  free 
from  disease.  This  meat  can  always  be  identified  by  the  purple 
marks  on  the  carcasses,  "U.  S.  Inspected  and  Passed,"  or  an  ab- 
breviation, also  a  number  indicating  the  establishment  where  the 
animal  was  slaughtered.  Without  meat  inspection  it  would  be  pos- 
sible for  unscrupulous  butchers  to  sell  the  meat  of  animals  unfit  for 
food,  and  this  is  perhaps  done  to  some  extent  by  establishments  in 
small  towns  where  Federal  inspection  does  not  obtain. 

The  pathological  specimens  illustrating  hog  cholera  enable  the 
farmer  to  make  sure  whether  his  hogs  have  hog  cholera  and  if  they 
have,  to  take  steps  to  protect  his  hogs  by  the  use  of  hog-cholera 
serum. 

The  "  story  of  clean  milk"  proved  of  interest  both  to  the  producer 
and  the  consumer  of  milk,  for  it  showed  how  milk  should  be  handled 
on  the  farm  and  in  the  home.  The  exhibit  showed  that  it  is  necessary 
to  procure  milk  from  clean  cows,  free  from  disease,  and  to  keep  this 
milk  free  from  contamination  at  all  times. 

The  idea  of  safety  first  as  carried  on  in  the  Bureau  of  Animal 
Industry  can  perhaps  have  no  better  example  than  the  work  done 
during  the  recent  outbreak  of  foot-and-mouth  disease.  In  order  to 
eradicate  the  disease  it  was  necessary  not  only  to  destroy  infected 
animals,  but  also  thoroughly  to  clean  and  disinfect  the  premises 
where  infected  animals  were. 

FOREST  SERVICE, 
Henry  S.  Graves,  Forester  and  Chief. 

The  Forest  Service  exhibit,  designed  to  bring  out  those  features  of 
service  work  that  have  to  do  specifically  with  the  conservation  of  life 
and  property,  namely,  forest-fire  prevention  and  watershed  protec- 
tion, occupied  a  part  of  one  of  the  cars. 

During  the  past  50  years  more  than  3,000  lives  have  been  lost  in 
forest  fires  in  the  United  States.  Over  $25,000,000  worth  of  standing 
timber  is  destroyed  annually  by  fire ;  and  this  does  not  include  the 


THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN.  39 

damage  done  to  young  growth,  the  injury  to  industries  dependent 
upon  the  forests,  or  the  lost  productiveness  of  burned-over  areas.  As 
a  cahimity  a  forest  fire  ranks  well  with  flood  and  famine.  To  prevent 
fires  causing  loss  of  life  and  of  the  public  property  under  its  charge, 
the  Forest  Service  has  established  a  comprehensive  system  for 
detecting  and  fighting  fires  in  the  national  forests.  In  the  exhibit 
this  system  was  explained  by  means  of  photographs,  transparencies, 
and  models,  and  by  some  of  the  instruments  and  tools  used  in  fire- 
protection  work.  Pictures  showed  forest  fires  burning  and  large 
areas  of  valuable  timber  laid  waste  by  flames.  A  view  of  tlie  town 
of  Wallace,  Idaho,  after  its  partial  destruction  by  a  forest  fire, 
brought  home  the  fact  that  such  conflagrations  are  a  menace  not  only 
to  a  rural  population  but  to  people  in  towns  and  cities  as  well.  A 
picture  of  a  lookout  house  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Eddy,  Cal., 
showed  one  of  the  many  stations  situated  on  high  points  in  the 
national  forests  and  connected  by  telephone  with  supervisors'  head- 
quarters. At  such  stations  a  constant  watch  is  kept  for  fires  during 
seasons  of  greatest  danger.  Other  pictures  show^ed  how  a  brush  fire 
is  fought  with  shovel,  ax,  rake,  and  spade;  how  trails  in  the  national 
forests,  cleared  on  either  side  of  inflammable  material,  serve  as  fire- 
breaks; and  how  wide  fire  lines  are  cleared  in  the  forests  wherever 
practicable. 

How  brush  or  other  inflammable  material  is  piled  and  burned  after 
timber  on  a  National  Forest  timber  sale  area  has  been  sold  and 
logged  off  was  shown  in  several  transparencies.  The  use  of  the 
heliograph  for  reporting  fires  and  the  employment  of  fire  towers, 
lookout  houses,  telephones,  and  tool  boxes,  with  their  fire-fighting 
equipment  and  emergency  rations,  were  also  illustrated.  A  type 
of  the  portable  telephone  which  forest  rangers  carry,  and  w4th 
which  they  can  tap  the  main  telephone  line  at  any  point  for  the 
purpose  of  reporting  a  fire,  and  the  type  of  iron-box  outdoor  tele- 
phone used  on  exposed  situations  on  the  national  forests,  were  also 
exhibited. 

How  disastrously  denudation  affects  a  watershed  was  depicted  by 
a  working  model  showing  the  action  of  rainfall  on  forested  and 
deforested  hillsides.  In  this  model  were  two  hills  of  equal  size 
and  of  the  same  kind  of  soil,  situated  side  by  side,  one  of  w^hich  was 
covered  w  ith  moss,  litter,  and  twigs  to  represent  the  forest  cover  on  a 
mountain  side,  while  the  other  was  left  bare  to  represent  a  slope  de- 
nuded by  fire.  Water  was  constantly  sprinkled  in  equal  volume  on 
each  of  the  hills.  On  the  forested  mountain  the  water  was  absorbed 
by  the  litter,  which  permitted  it  to  sink  into  the  ground  and  feed  the 
springs  or  to  run  off  gradually,  free  from  sediment,  into  a  stream  and 
a  lake  in  the  foreground  of  the  model.  On  the  deforested  mountain 
the  Avater  ran  off  immediately,  eroding  the  slopes,  filling  a  stream 


40  THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TEAIN. 

channel  and  lake  with  sediment,  and  causing  destructive  floods  in 
the  lowland. 

On  watersheds  in  the  national  forests  where  fire  has  destroyed 
the  forest,  young  trees  are  being  planted  as  fast  as  practicable. 
Several  pictures  showed  reforesting  methods,  while  others  illustrated 
how  the  young  trees  intended  for  planting  are  grown  in  national 
forest  nurseries.  A  transparency  showed  forest  land  where  the 
ground  had  been  made  bare  by  overgrazing,  the  young  trees  de- 
stroyed, and  the  soil  loosened,  conditions  which,  by  the  restriction  of 
grazing  on  important  watersheds,  are  not  permitted  in  the  national 
forests.  A  chart  showed,  by  States,  the  number  of  watersheds  within 
the  national  forests. 

Animals  which  prey  on  live  stock  cause  the  loss  of  thousands  of 
head  each  year,  and  of  late  the  spread  of  rabies  among  wolves  and 
coyotes  has  brought  danger  to  the  population  of  large  areas  in  the 
West.  The  Forest  Service,  in  cooperation  with  the  Biological  Sur- 
vey, systematically  destroys  predatory  animals,  4,000  having  been 
killed  on  the  national  forests  last  year.  Three  pictures  illustrated 
this  work. 

A  model  of  an  ideal  national  forest  showed  in  miniature  many  of 
the  activities  which  have  been  described  and  in  addition  the  various 
other  uses  of  the  national  forests,  such  as  the  sale  of  timber,  grazing 
of  live  stock,  the  lease  of  water-power  sites,  and  the  construction 
of  bridges,  trails,  roads,  telephone  lines,  fire  lines,  and  lookout 
houses.  A  map  of  the  United  States  showed  where  153  national 
forests  are  situated.  A  chart  of  "  Seven  Don'ts  "  for  fire  prevention 
was  prominently  displayed. 

The  exhibit  of  the  Forest  Service  was  in  charge  of  Mr.  A.  A. 
Ormsby  and  Mr.  E.  L.  Lindsay.  Mr.  Lindsay  was  relieved  by  Mr. 
C.  T.  Forster,  who  took  charge  of  the  exhibit  on  July  14. 

INTERSTATE   COMMERCE   COMMISSION. 
Balthasar  H.  Meyer,  Chairman. 

DIVISION   OF  SAFETY, 
H.  W.  Belnap.  Chief. 

The  Interstate  Commerce  Commission,  through  its  Division  of 
Safety,  is  engaged  in  safeguarding  the  lives  and  limbs  of  employees 
and  travelers  upon  railroads  through  what  are  known  as  the  safety 
appliance  and  hours-of-service  laws. 

In  recognition  of  the  fact  that  a  great  many  railroad  employees 
were  being  needlessly  killed  and  injured  each  year  in  attempting  to 
couple  cars  equipped  with  line  and  pin  couplers  and  in  falling  or 
being  knocked  from  tops  of  cars  while  using  hand  brakes,  the  so- 
called  safety-appliance  law  was  passed  by  Congress  in  1893.     This 


THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN. 


41 


law  provides  that  railroads  shall  e((nip  their  engnies  and  cars  with 
couplers  that  will  couple  automatically  and  can  be  uncoupled  with- 
out the  necessity  of  employees  going  between  the  cars,  and  that  they 
be  equipped  with  power  brakes  so  that  the  speed  of  a  train  can  be 
controlled  by  the  engineer.  As  subsequently  amended  the  law  pro- 
vides that  secure  grab  irons  or  handholds  shall  be  placed  on  the  ends 
and  sides  of  the  cars,  and  all  cars  shall  be  equipped  with  sill  steps, 
ladders,  and  running  boards. 


EXHIBIT  OF   INTERSTATE  COMMERCE  COMMISSION. 

The  records  show  remarkable  results  from  the  enforcement  of  the 
safety-appliance  legislation.  In  1893,  -ll  per  cent  of  all  accidents 
suffered  by  trainmen  were  due  to  coupling  and  uncoupling  cars, 
while  in  1915  less  than  6  per  cent  of  all  accidents  to  trainmen  were 
due  to  this  cause.  In  1915  the  accident  records  show  a  decrease  of 
81  in  the  number  killed  and  700  in  the  number  injured  from  this 
cause  as  compared  with  1914.     During  1915  there  was  a  decrease  of 


42  THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TEAIN. 

185  in  the  number  killed  and  4,300  in  the  number  injured  by  falling 
from  and  getting  off  cars  and  by  coming  in  contact  with  side  and 
overhead  obstructions. 

The  improvement  in  the  condition  of  equipment  is  illustrated  by 
the  fact  that  in  1905  there  were  250,000  cars  inspected,  22  per  cent 
of  which  were  reported  as  defective ;  in  1910  there  were  435,000  cars 
inspected,  over  5  per  cent  of  which  were  reported  as  defective;  and 
in  1915  over  1,000,000  cars  were  inspected,  slighth^  more  than  4  per 
cent  of  which  were  reported  as  defective. 

It  having  become  apparent  that  a  great  many  accidents  were  caused 
by  the  fatigue  of  employees  on  account  of  remaining  on  duty  too 
long.  Congress  passed  the  hours-of-service  law  in  1907.  This  law 
limited  the  number  of  hours  railroad  employees  concerned  with  the 
movement  of  trains  are  permitted  to  remain  on  duty  during  any  24- 
hour  period  to  16  hours  for  trainmen,  9  hours  for  operators  at  offices 
that  are  open  day  and  night,  and  13  hours  for  operators  at  offices  that 
are  open  only  during  the  daytime. 

In  1913  carriers  reported  to  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission 
301,743  instances  in  which  employees  were  on  duty  in  excess  of  the 
number  of  hours  fixed  by  statute ;  in  1914  the  number  of  such  cases 
was  165,305,  and  in  1915  the  number  of  reported  cases  of  excessive 
periods  of  service  had  been  reduced  to  78,940.  One  of  the  beneficial 
results  of  the  enforcement  of  this  law  is  that  accidents  caused  by 
employees  remaining  on  duty  excessive  periods  of  time  have  prac- 
tically ceased. 

It  is  apparent  from  these  records  that  the  enforcement  of  the 
safety-appliance  and  hours-of-service  laws  has  resulted  in  materially 
increasing  safety  in  railroad  oj^eration,  because  the  amount  of  defec- 
tive equipment  has  been  greatly  reduced  and  the  number  of  instances 
of  excessive  periods  of  service  by  railroad  employees  has  been  ma- 
terially decreased. 

In  1910  Congress  authorized  the  Commission  to  investigate  and 
report  on  railroad  accidents,  and  since  then  many  of  the  more 
serious  accidents  have  been  investigated  and  recommendations  in- 
tended to  prevent  their  recurrence  have  been  made.  In  some  cases 
of  accidents  caused  b}^  broken  rails,  broken  axles,  broken  wheels, 
broken  bridge  members,  etc.,  exhaustive  tests  of  the  broken  parts 
have  been  made  with  a  view  of  determining  what  caused  the  break. 
The  investigation  of  accidents  and  the  publicity  given  the  reports 
have  aroused  the  railroads  to  greater  activity  in  safety  work  and 
have  resulted  in  extending  the  block  system,  the  increased  use  of 
steel  cars  in  passenger-train  service,  a  more  rigid  adherence  to  rules, 
and  better  maintenance  of  railroad  tracks. 

In  1913  Congress  authorized  the  Commission  to  examine  and  re- 
port on  the  merits  of  devices  intended  to  increase  safety  in  railway 


THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN.  43 

operation.     Since  the  passage  of  this  act,  pLins  and  specifications  of 
about  -tT5  such  devices  have  been  examined. 

The  block  sig:nal  system  is  universally  recognized  as  the  safest 
method  of  railroad  operation  now  in  general  use,  in  that  it  provides 
for  a  definite  space  between  trains. 

On  January  1,  1908,  there  were  10.803  miles  of  railroad  in  the 
United  States  equipped  with  automatic  block  signals  and  47,875  miles 
equipped  with  nonautomatic  block  signals,  or  a  total  of  58,678  miles 
equipped  with  block  signals.  On  January  1.  lOlfi,  there  were  30,042 
miles  of  road  equipped  with  automatic  block  signals  and  05,033  miles 
equipped  with  nonautomatic  block  signals,  or  a  total  of  96,575  miles 
equipped  with  block  signals.  The  number  of  miles  of  road  ecjuipped 
with  block  signals  has  increased  from  year  to  year,  the  principal  in- 
crease being  in  the  automatic  block  signal  mileage. 

The  exhibit  of  the  Commission  occupied  an  entire  car  and  was 
designed  to  show  the  scope  of  the  safety  work  done  under  its  super- 
vision. The  exhibit  included  model  cars  fully  equipped  with  all  the 
safety  appliances  required  by  the  Commission's  order  of  ]March  13, 
1911,  and  a  number  of  charts  graphically  illustrating  the  relative 
decrease  in  the  number  of  casualties  to  railway  employees  since  the 
passage  of  the  Federal  safety  appliance  and  boiler  inspection  acts. 

A  model  block  signal  system  about  25  feet  in  length,  illustrating 
the  protection  provided  by  a  block  signal  system,  was  in  full  opera- 
tion. This  model  had  two  sidings  and  was  designed  particular^  to 
show  single-track  operation.  Intermediate  signals  were  shown  be- 
tween the  block  signals  by  means  of  lights,  and  the  model,  which  was 
fully  equipped  with  standard  relays  used  with  direct-current  opera- 
tion, worked  perfectly. 

Material  that  through  failure  had  been  the  cause  of  a  number  of 
the  accidents  investigated  by  the  Commission,  such  as  steel  rails  with 
transverse  tissures,  faulty  car  wheels  and  bridge  material,  and 
matei'ial  from  defective  locomotive  boilers,  were  on  exhibition.  A 
great  number  of  test  pieces  that  had  been  used  in  metallurgical  work 
were  also  shown. 

Models  of  many  of  the  different  types  of  couplers  used  on  rail- 
roads, and  emergency  knuckles  and  other  parts  that  are  necessary 
in  making  repairs  in  case  of  the  failure  of  the  couplers,  were  on  ex- 
hibition. 

DIVISIOS   OF  LOCOMOTIVE  BOILER  I\SPECTION. 
Frank  McManamy,  Chief. 

The  exhibit  illustrating  the  work  of  the  locomotive  inspection 
service  proved  of  interest  to  all  who  have  occasion  to  travel  by  rail- 
road, but  more  especially  to  railroad  men  actively  engaged  in  the 
operation  of  locomotives.    In  this  work  the  Government  supervises, 


44  THE    SAFETY-FIRST    TEAIJiT. 

with  regard  to  "  safety  first,"  the  condition  of  some  68,000  loco- 
motives in  the  United  States,  a  striking  example  of  the  interest  being 
taken  in  the  Xation-wide  movement  to  promote  safety. 

The  exhibit  included  a  complete  working  model  of  a  locomotive, 
which  is  used  to  illustrate  various  defective  conditions  that  the  law 
aims  to  remedy. 

Under  the  requirements  of  the  law  and  a  code  of  rules  approved  by 
the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission,  locomotive  boilers  and  their 
appurtenances  at  regular  intervals  are  inspected  and  tested  to  deter- 
mine their  condition.  Insj^ections  are  required  before  each  trip,  a 
regular  inspection  once  each  month,  and  application  of  hydrostatic 
test  and  certain  other  work  once  each  year. 

In  addition  to  this  supervision  over  the  inspection  work  required 
of  carriers,  each  Federal  inspector  makes  such  personal  inspection 
of  locomotives  in  his  district  as  his  other  duties  permit.  During  the 
fiscal  year  1915,  71,000  locomotives  were  personally  inspected  by  the 
Government.  During  the  first  fiscal  year  71,231  locomotives  were 
inspected  by  the  Government,  6,968  of  which  were  either  held  out 
of  service  for  repairs  or  changed  and  strengthened  to  conform  to  the 
requirements  of  the  law,  or  permanently  removed  from  service.  For 
the  year  ended  June  30,  1915,  73,113  locomotives  were  inspected, 
2,027  of  which  were  ordered  out  of  service,  which  indicates,  in  a 
measure,  the  improvement  that  has  been  brought  about.  AMien  the 
defects  found  are  of  a  character  so  serious  as  to  render  the  locomotive 
unsafe,  the  Federal  inspector  is  required  to  serve  upon  the  company 
a  written  order  withholding  the  locomotive  from  service  until  proper 
repairs  are  made. 

The  most  convincing  evidence,  however,  of  the  improvement 
brought  about  by  the  law  is  the  marked  reduction  in  the  number  of 
accidents.  Whenever  the  failure  of  any  of  the  equipment  covered 
by  the  law  results  in  serious  personal  injury  or  death,  the  carrier 
operating  the  locomotive  is  required  to  report  the  fact  by  wire  to  the 
chief  inspector,  in  Washington,  who  has  prompt  and  proper  inves- 
tigation made.  On  the  information  thus  obtained  the  necessary  ac- 
tion is  taken  to  remedy  conditions  or  practice  with  a  view  of  pre- 
venting similar  accidents. 

During  the  first  year  of  the  operation  of  the  law  856  accidents  due 
to  failure  of  locomotive  boilers  or  their  appurtenances  were  reported, 
the  casualties  amounting  to  91  deaths  and  1,005  cases  of  personal 
injury.  Because  of  the  decided  improvement  brought  about  in  the 
maintenance  of  equipment,  there  was  in  each  of  the  three  succeeding 
3^ears  a  marked  decrease.  The  records  for  the  last  fiscal  year  show 
there  were  only  121  such  accidents,  resulting  in  13  deaths  and  107 
injuries,  which  represents  a  decrease  in  three  years  of  50  j)er  cent 


THE   SAFETY-FIRST    TRAIN.  45 

in  the  number  of  accidents,  85  per  cent  in  the  number  of  fatalities, 
and  53  per  cent  in  the  personal  injury. 

Eecognizing-  the  benefits  derived  from  Federal  supervision  of  in- 
spection of  locomotive  boilers  and  their  appurtenances,  Congress  by 
an  act  approved  March  4,  1915,  extended  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Loco- 
motive Inspection  Service  to  cover  the  entire  locomotive  and  tender, 
so  that  it  now  oversees  all  work  in  connection  with  the  inspection 
and  repair  of  any  part  or  appurtenance  of  steam  locomotives  and 
tenders  operated  by  carriers  engaged  in  moving  interstate  commerce. 
The  improvement  already  apparent  justified  the  confident  belief  that 
the  operation  of  these  additional  rules  will  further  advance  the  cause 
of  "  Safety  First."' 

The  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  was  represented  by  O.  C. 
Cash,  T.  C.  Hays,  John  Hall,  J.  G.  Adair,  Harvey  Boltwood,  and 
A.  D.  Rogers. 

AMERICAN   NATIONAL  RED  CROSS. 
Maj.  Robert  U.  Patterson,  in  charge  of  first-aid  work. 

The  American  National  Red  Cross,  in  addition  to  its  numerous 
well-known  philanthropies  and  its  great  humanitarian  efforts  in  giv- 
ing succor  to  the  wounded  in  time  of  war  and  to  the  distressed  and 
homeless  in  time  of  great  disasters,  maintains  a  first-aid  division  for 
instructing  the  people  of  the  United  States  in  accident  prevention 
and  first-aid-to-the-injured. 

It  is  estimated  by  the  American  Red  Cross  that  at  least  75  per 
cent  of  the  accidents  that  occur  in  the  United  States  each  year  are 
preventable.  The  society,  therefore,  has  a  great  field  of  activity  in 
seeking  to  remedy  such  conditions.  The  first-aid  division  is  under 
the  direction  of  an  officer  of  the  ]Medical  Corps  of  the  United  States 
Army,  and  has  a  staff  of  physicians  and  a  life-saving  expert,  who 
are  available  for  detail  as  instructors  in  mines  and  lumber  camps, 
or  for  railroads,  telephone  and  electric  concerns  and  other  large 
industrial  establisliments ;  also,  for  police  and  fire  departments  in 
the  cities,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  Boy  Scouts,  etc.  Two  instruc- 
tion cars  are  maintained  on  the  railways  of  the  country  to  aid  in 
this  work.  These  two  cars  in  1915  traveled  22,977  miles,  and  818 
lectures  and  demonstrations  were  given  by  the  doctors  in  charge 
of  the  cars  to  46,829  railroad  employees.  Among  the  general  public 
during  1915,  2,131  certificates  of  proficiency  in  first-aid  to  the  injured 
were  issued  by  this  division.  Already  in  1916  this  number  of  cer- 
tificates issued  has  been  quadrupled. 

During  the  year  1915,  the  American  Red  Cross  had  charge  of  nine 
large  first-aid  contests  throughout  the  country,  and  fifty-six  life- 
saving  corps  were  started,  of  which  18  complied  with  all  the  require- 


